10-Minute Asparagus Brunch for Fancypants People
I am not someone with addictive tendencies—in fact, I’m an exceedingly, sometimes overly moderate person. I like a little bit of one thing here, and a little bit of another thing there, and lots of different things all the time, and not too much of any one thing ever. The exception to this is when something like asparagus swings into season at the farmer’s market. Absolutely all my self-control goes out the window in favor of carving out a very sizable budget for peaches or tomatoes or, in the spring, wonderfully green, gorgeous, and alive asparagus. I just about ran home from the market with the first asparagus of the season, steamed it in a pan, and then consulting my very odds-and-ends-filled refrigerator. Knowing how much asparagus loves cheesy, salty, funky, richness (think asparagus in quiches or eggs Benedict or with sauce gribiche or eggs mimosa or roasted with Parmesan.) I emerged with a tub of miso and the butter dish. Mashed together and tossed with the hot asparagus, the miso butter makes a salty, savory sauce, and it really is just the thing for the very green, very demure on its own asparagus.Another reason I love asparagus: It is totally kosher to eat it with your fingers. This is even true when it is dripping with butter. This is what I did with this asparagus the first time I made them and then the next day, when I made them again. And again when I made them for friends. We made a big plate of them and sat there with it between us, forgoing our forks, reaching for the stalks.If you add eggs to the equation, you have to add the fork back in, too, but you get a really lovely brunch, one that feels a little fancy (asparagus just feels sort of elegant, doesn't it?). It also takes a scant 10 minutes to put together, and is very easily batchable, making it an ideal choice for breakfast if you’re having a crowd over—or if you’re just trying to pull together something for yourself in the same time it takes to make a cup of coffee. Asparagus with Miso-Butter and Eggs