Asparagus Salad

Oh sigh...asparagus season is winding down. Kind of sad, but hey, at least that means that peas are right around the corner, right? To celebrate this delicious seasonal veggie, we're taking one more crack at it with a cold, lemony salad. 

Asparagus Salad
Ingredients
2 lbs of fresh asparagus with woody stalks removed 
1/4 C fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 hard boiled egg
2 T minced fresh chives
2 T minced fresh parsley
1 tsp minced fresh tarragon
2 T salt for boiling asparagus
1/2 tsp Maldon salt

Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook for 90 seconds. Remove from heat, and drop the strained asparagus into a sink full of ice water to stop the vegetables from cooking. 

I was happy to find purple asparagus at the Farmers Market, but sadly, it only remains purple until it's cooked

Refrigerate the asparagus while you mince your herbs, and grate your egg (yes, I said grate your egg) but if you don't own a microplane, feel free to finely chop the egg or put it through a ricer. I just didn't have one. I was also pretty convinced that I could fake my daughter out, and make her think the grated egg white was cheese, but no dice.

Make a dressing for the asparagus by adding the lemon juice, oil, mustard, herbs and egg to a small bowl (I just used the measuring cup I used, which happens to be my Grandma's so I like to use it whenever I can.) 

Remove the asparagus from the refrigerator and place into the serving dish of your choice. Top with the dressing and a sprinkling of Maldon salt for seasoning and crunch. I do believe this salad tastes just like Spring should.