Asparagus with Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese
By Sally James
Tender spears of asparagus are dressed with a vibrant lemon dressing and scattered with roasted hazelnuts and soft goat cheese – simple, elegant and perfect for entertaining. Makes asparagus very wine friendly – even with bold reds!
- Cuisine: French
- Course: Side Dish
INGREDIENTS
- Asparagus
- goat cheese
- Hazelnut
- Walnut
- or Olive Oil
- Hazelnuts
- kosher salt
- lemon
- Thyme
- White Pepper
DIRECTIONS
- Place the hazelnuts on an oven tray and scatter with half the thyme. Bake in a moderate oven for 5-7 minutes or until golden and aromatic. Transfer to a clean dish towel, rub off the skins and remove, then chop roughly.
- Snap the stalky bases off the asparagus spears and blanch in a large saucepan of rapidly boiling salted boiling water for 1-2 minutes, or until tender-crisp.
- Transfer to a bowl of ice water until cold, then dry on paper towels. If preferred, you can also grill the asparagus and serve as a hot salad.
- Whisk the oil and lemon juice together and season to taste. Place the asparagus in a bowl and toss with the dressing to coat.
- To serve, arrange asparagus on plates or platter and crumble over the goat cheese, extra thyme and lemon zest. Scatter with the hazelnuts.
