I'm a personal chef, & this recipe gets rave reviews. I agree with other reviewers- blanch the asparagus for 1 minute, plunge into an icewater bath, & drain. I used chive & onion soft cream cheese, and sprayed both the bottom of the pan, as well as tops of finished bundles with olive oil. Also, buy the best prosciutto that you can afford, ths helps with the saltiness factor. Elegant, & good either warm or chilled!
I have a couple of comments on this recipe. I recommend using black forest ham or any other type of deli sliced ham instead of prosciutto. It stands up to the cream cheese much better and goes very nicely with the asparagus. I've made this before as a cold appetizer and it's great that way too. To do this boil the asparagus for 1-2 minutes (depending on thickness) just until slightly softened. Immediately immerse in ice water. Drain and blot dry. Assemble as directed and refrigerate. You should boil the asparagus even for the cooked version or it will be crunchy. I found that if you boil the asparagus you should reduce the oven time to 7-8 minutes or the ham begins to get too crispy. Really good either way.
Excellent combination of flavors! Very easy to prepare. Only change I made was peeling the asparagus first. (unless they are pencil thin). Peeling the stalk to about an inch from the tip makes it so tender (removes woody toughness).
I followed the recipe to a tee using 2 to 3 asparagus spears in a bundle and very softened cream cheese. I also tried one asparagus spear and cream cheese w/ the prosciutto...I found that the saltiness of the prosciutto overpowered the single asparagus spear. This side dish is outstanding with asparagus bundles however! I would even recommend using many asparagus spears... I was disappointed because we ate all of the asparagus and didn't eat all of the prosciutto although i LOVE it! No salt needed it's salty enough! My advice: add more asparagus.
Phenomenal. The best asparagus recipe I have seen. Make sure to baste the bundles with olive oil so they don't dry out.
This is a quick easy and very elegant side dish. Like a previous reviewer I simmered the asparagus (about 3 mins) then immersed it in a bowl of ice cubes and water. They stayed beautifully green even after 12 mins in the oven. Great tip!
This is great cold appetizer. Blanche asparagas and immerse in icewater. Makes the asparagas bright green. Very Delicious!
OMG! this is a winner!!! it's not only easy to make...but SOOO GOOD!! I made it for new years and even the kids had it! I served it as appetizer and people didn t have enough room in their tummies to have the main dish! The blanching is crucial! And using a very thin slice of Prosciutto is the perfect combination!
this recipe is excellent. I made it for Easter and it was a huge hit! I peeled the larger asparagus and blanched them all for 1 min then ice bath. I combine white asparagus with green for an awesome presentation. I also used garlic/herb cream cheese. Roasted at 450 for 12 min. YUMM
I know that people have rated this better then I will...I just didn't really like this. I think when it comes to my asparagus...I'm just a plain jane!!!
