Easter Eggs

April is the cruelest month for seasonal cooking. None of my beloved summer vegetables are ready to pick yet, except in places so far away that they’ve got jetlag when they arrive. The winter squashes and pumpkins seem heavy and inappropriate. Everyone wants you to eat fennel, artichokes, and Swiss chard for spring, and frankly those are not my favorites. Also, there were just the two of us for Easter dinner this year, so Richard came up with the good idea of an eggy luncheon: croques madames (sans the ham), asparagus with a balsamic sauce, and grapefruit crème brûlée.

Here are the recipes:

• Croque madame
• Grapefruit crème brûlée
• Asparagus: Wash and trim the ends of one bunch of asparagus. Toss with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast the asparagus at 400°F for 18 minutes. In a small pot on the stove, make a sauce with 2 Tbsp of butter, 2 Tbsp of soy sauce, and 2 tsp of balsamic vinegar. When the asparagus comes out of the oven, toss with the sauce and serve.