Asparagus Appetizer

This is a great Asparagus Appetizer. Cooked Asparagus is wrapped in a tasty outer crust that you serve warm. You can substitute ham or any other thinly sliced meat for the prosciutto. We also sprinkle ground parmesan cheese onto the outside along with the sesame seeds.

We have substituted Cresent Roll Dough for frozen pie crust without any problems.

If you are not familiar with cooking asparagus then look at the bottom of this page for some cooking tips.

Asparagus Appetizer Recipe

Ingredients:

1lb. asparagus
1 frozen pie crust
1-tablespoon sesame seeds
3 slices prosciutto
1tablespoon melted butter or margarine.
Makes 12

Preparation:

Bring a pot of water to boil and blanch the asparagus. Drop into an ice bath to stop cooking.
Roll out pie crust to 1/8 inch thickness.
Slice the prosciutto into long thin strips.
Starting at the top of the spear, wrap a strip of prosciutto around the asparagus, spiraling it down to the base.
Do the same with the pie crust strips, overlaying the prosciutto.
Lay each spear on a cookie sheet. When each one is wrapped, brush lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake at 350° for about 8 minutes, or until crust is golden.

Serve warm.

How to Prepare Asparagus

The way you prepare your asparagus can depend upon its size.The smallest spears will only need to have their very bottoms trimmed off before cooking.The bottom portions of larger asparagus spears are too tough to eat; they will either need to be snapped off or peeled. To snap off the tough portion, simply grasp the stalk with both hands and bend the bottom portion until it breaks off. The asparagus will naturally break off at the point where the tender portion ends and the tough, stringy part begins.

How to Blanch Asparagus

Blanch means to cook vegetables for a very short time to keep them crisp. To blanch asparagus, bring water to boil in a large skillet or saucepan. Add some salt and the asparagus; simmer 2 to 3 minutes only depending on diameter of asparagus. Remove immediately and rinse in very cold water until asparagus is chilled, or place asparagus in a large bowl of ice filled with water (prepare this ahead of time). This will stop the cooking process immediately.

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