From childhood to adulthood. When my scrambled eggs became a frittata...

Asparagus Frittata (with parsley and chives)

My father did all the cooking in our house when my brother and I were growing up. I often got in the way as I hovered around the kitchen, watching him dice, chop, and create, just waiting for that moment when he would offer me a taste of whatever it was that he was making us for dinner. My patience always paid off in some way. As I grew older, I was aching to get involved in the process. At the time, my favourite thing to eat was scrambled eggs, and I was thrilled when my dad showed me how to make my own. Although the use of the stove remained under parental supervision, the rest was up to me. The cracking of the eggs and the addition of milk, herbs or spices, was an entirely solo experiment. The process was nothing short of magical for me as I watched the runny mixture begin to form into the telltale lumps, giving me my very own scrambled eggs. As I grew more adventurous, my scrambled eggs often turned into strange and unsightly mixtures laced with tomatoes, mushrooms or cheddar cheese. Some experiments turned out well while others left me feeling gravely disappointed. Regardless of the concoction, my scrambled eggs were ALWAYS topped off with a very liberal dose of ketchup.

Ketchup was, in fact, the bane of my father's culinary existence. I think he actually found it a personal insult that his children wanted ketchup with almost everything he cooked. From macaroni and cheese to a perfectly cooked steak. There was nothing that I in particular would not put ketchup on. I marveled when, during that first summer that I went to camp, I discovered that some of my fellow campers regularly ate sandwiches that consisted of nothing but white bread and ketchup. I wondered how it was possible that I had never thought of that before.

As I've gotten older and wiser, my attachment to ketchup has decidedly waned. The Belgian blood in me, which comes from my father, prefers mayonnaise with my fries, and never would ketchup touch any steak of mine. As for eggs, well occasionally, if I am out for breakfast and the eggs are lacking flavour, I find myself scanning the room for a ketchup bottle. But I usually restrain myself and only imagine that my eggs are doused in ketchup. This is mostly due to the fact that my boyfriend finds the combination of eggs and ketchup completely revolting, and so I acquiesce when we are out together. But, give me a well made omelet or scramble and ketchup is the furthest thing from my mind.

I was happy to stumble upon this recipe recently for an asparagus frittata. The frittata was delicious and provided some welcome leftovers for breakfast the following morning. And I have to admit, that I recently bought myself a new non-stick pan, which greatly contributed to the overwhelming success of this particular frittata. I really have NO idea why I didn't have one before. It's one of those things I can only shake my head at as I gaze admiringly at my first perfectly shaped frittata.

The recipe suggests cutting it into small squares and topping with creme fraiche and chives. Done this way it can be served as an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre.

Asparagus Frittata with Crème Fraiche (cooking.com)

6 large eggs
1/2 cup minced fresh chives
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons half and half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
One 1-pound bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 yellow onion, minced

1/3 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

METHOD

Preheat broiler. Whisk eggs, 1/4 cup chives, parsley, Parmesan cheese, half and half, salt and pepper in large bowl until just blended. Melt butter and oil in heavy nonstick 10-inch-diameter omelette pan over medium heat. Add asparagus and onion and saute until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Pour egg mixture over asparagus. Reduce heat to low; cook until edges are just set, about 3 minutes. Using heat-proof spatula, lift cooked edges of egg mixture and tilt pan so uncooked eggs run beneath. Continue cooking until egg mixture is nearly set on top, about 5 minutes. Broil until just puffed and lightly golden on top, about 2 minutes.

Slide spatula under frittata to loosen; slide out onto cutting board. Cut frittata into 1-inch squares. (Can be made 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Arrange squares on serving platter. Spoon dollop of creme fraiche atop each square. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chives and serve.