Saturday, May 8, 2010

Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Miso Butter

Meg and I tried this variation on David Chang's Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Miso Butter for Gossip Girl Monday. It screamed Sarah ... Asian inspiration! Seasonal Vegetable! Delicious Egg Yolk coating the whole dish! And the presentation was lovely. I knew it had to be my first asparagus dish of the season and it was.

It's quite simple to prepare but requires a bit of inactive cooking time between the butter coming to room temperature and the asparagus roasting, so it isn't quick. The egg and butter are flavorful, creamy accompaniments to the roasted asparagus making for a rich, unique dish. But I have to admit I would have been just as happy eating the roasted asparagus on its own. Our pencil thin stalks were tender, slightly caramelized perfection thanks to Meg's excellent salting, oiling and roasting. For me, the sauce obscured this simple pleasure rather than complimenting it.

I won't be making this again but use your own judgment. If you are passionate about Miso this may be great for you! I've never been entirely sold on the soup and hadn't tried Miso Paste before. It was salty, intriguing and reminded Meg and I of Handisnacks Cheese, which shamefully was not such a bad thing. Any ideas for how to use of the remainder of the package?