Cook spears until just tender and then wrap with a strip of thin prosciutto. Sprinkle with a little squeeze of lemon & then fresh-grated parmesan overall if desired. Serve cold. Can be seasoned as you like, but the prosciutto adds it's own flavor. Yummy.

I always lightly boil in just a wee bit of water,a minute or 2,then saute in butter,s&p,and just roll the asparagus in that...always green bright and tasty Ed!

I love it roasted. Look up 'oven roasted asparagus'. You only need asparagus, olive oil and salt. It's quite tasty.

I like it plain - just roasted in the oven on a cookie sheet with a bit of olive oil and salt. Don't overcook it - it's nice when it's firm. Sometimes I sprinkle parmesan cheese on it.

I steam it. It really doesn't need much more, but if I want to dress it up, a drizzle (not glopped on!) of hollandaise sauce.

My go to with everything is to add garlic. My husband likes to marinate it in a red wine vinegar dressing and then grill it. He also loves pickled asparagus. That doesn't have to be complicated at all and can preserve excess asparagus for a little while longer than it would last otherwise. The process for refrigerator pickles just involves putting the spears in jars with vinegar/water/spice mixture and storing them in the fridge. No canning or pickling experience required.

My "go-to" recipe is roasting with evoo, S+P and Parm or Pec. Everyone loves it.

I also love asparagus steamed with hollandaise sauce. I make Barefoot Contessa's quick blender version and put some tarragon in it to finish.

Ooo. A Béarnaise. I'll have to try that. Good suggestion mimi!

I like to serve it crisp-tender with a gremolata made of garlic, lemon zest and parsley.

Shoot, you can put Hollandaise or Bearnaise (essentially H + tarragon and a few other differences) on anything to make it richer. Even beef, of course.

We typically try to keep our home cooking on the lighter side but if you want to kick up your heals, great. For a gathering that's large and of a nature that the OP describes (with probably a buffet service) , either of these two is probably too much trouble (delicate and hard to keep warm without it breaking) to serve en masse.

Blender hollandaise gets rewarmed just by friction. About a minute and it's steaming in my Vitamix.

I adore hollandaise on filet mignon.

I also vote for asparagus roasted in the oven with extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper. Easy and delicious!

Just make it ahead and put it in one of those squeeze bottles. Can be reheated in a microwave, and a pretty drizzle.

You can also put the squeeze bottles in hot water to warm it up.

Ed, I'm not quite clear on what you've got....are you cooking more asparagus and looking for a new way of preparing it, or are you taking potluck asparagus tonight that you have already cooked? 'cooked up a potful and am looking for ways to make it more attractive'.....

If you want to dress up what you've cooked, how about nicely arranged on a platter with some lemon wedges on one side. A sprinkling of parmesan, the shredded or shaved type not powdered from a jar.... Understanding you don't have a grocery store down the block.

As far as cooking it the last few seasons, here we generally roast. Either in the oven (cookie sheet, 425F, 12-15 min) drizzled first with olive oil, sea salt, or prepped the same way and done on the gas grill.

And why am I thinking you aren't going to want to go to the trouble of tying it into little serving sized bundles. I did that once. Notice the 'once'. I'm not a fussy cook who agonizes over presentation often. Little bundles of asparagus, julienned carrots, tied with knotted green onion 'strings'. It sure was pretty, I never did it again.

I usually steam it to crisp-tender then drizzle a little olive oil and some grated parmesan over it.

I wrap individual spears in bacon, then put them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven.

I toss it with evoo, sprinkle it with Montreal steak seasoning and roast in the oven. Adding garlic sounds yummy also.

I like mine cooked put on toast, a white sauce and sliced hard boiled eggs.

Sue

Jjst a squirt of fresh-squeezed lemn juice. The classic would be with hollandaise sauce. By the way, when I visited New Orleans many years back, I had Eggs Sardu at Commanders Palace for breakfast/brunch, essentially Eggs Benedict with roasted asparagus added. Yummy, I've never forgottewn

Lightly cook the spears, then toss with a vinaigrette dressing (lemon juice, olive oil, herbs, garlic, a bit of onion) and serve at room temp. You can serve cold, but I don't like when the oil in the dressing goes solid.

Dances.

Baked cheesy asparagus with mozzarella, parmesan, butter and heavy cream. Not for those on a diet.

I'd cooked it too long around lunch time before coming to the library, only caught a few of your suggestions before leaving, saw some more at son's ... stayed talking too long with him, hurried trip to church, put them out as-was ... and had a lower level of loss than was true of many dishes.

Asparagus ideally isn't supposed to be so mushy that some of the spears fall apart when handled.

The residue has been tasting good, at home, though.

I was planning to gather some more to take to the Old Farts' club at the village church, this morning, but didn't pick them.

When asked whether I'd brought asparagus, when I replied that I hadn't ... the minister (whose wife loves it) said that I could leave ... so I walked sheepishly through the seated circle, just starting to enjoy their coffee, and out the door ... then returning through another ... at which time they welcomed me back.

Thanks for your suggestions - I think I'll print them off and offer them along with the asparagus, that should produce for about a month.

ole joyful

The residue has been tasting good, at home, though.

LOVE this comment. So relate

Ed, cream of asparagus soup from your too soft spears?

I agree with Mimi....Ina Garten's blender hollandaise sauce takes about 2 minutes to make, is delicious and you can make it well ahead of time and put in a thermos.......I know because I made eggs Benedict for 12 and had the hollandaise in a thermos. Make sure you rinse the thermos immediately after use for easy clean-up. P.S. I roast my asparagus, too.....so easy, best to use the thicker asparagus when roasting.

Cream of asparagus soup. I have never made it but it but have had it when other's have made it. I cook asparagus in a saute pan with just a bit of water and serve it with butter and lemon. Asparagus is my favourite vegetable but I rarely eat it any more because it causes my uric acid levels to rise and I end up getting gout in my ankle and knee soon after I eat it. This spring though, despite the pain I am going to cook myself some locally grown asparagus.

Asparagus is one of the foods that bothers me, too....but I love it dearly. I prepare it several different ways, but only take a few bites. :-(

I absolutely love cream of asparagus soup and will make it a couple of times a year. Not willing to have a full serving of any delectable asparagus dish more than that.

fried in tempura coating, sooo delish.

For cream of asparagus soup ...

... asparagus ...

... cream ...

... and what else?

(Plus ... what to do with it?

ole (sometimes a bit short on knowledge) joyfuelled ... with a bit o' fuelling help from asparagus

Here is a recipe for the soup Ed Cream of Asparagus Soup

haha I take back my comment about eating asparagus this spring despite the pain it causes me. Just experiencing a bout of gout and nope, I forgot how horrible the pain is, not going to touch asparagus, owww

Sad to hear of your pain, cherries ...

... and thanks for the recipe.

Haven't seen you in years - I'll have to visit you and my relatives in Windsor again soon.

Remember how, with a number of cancellations, Dances was about to cancel the gathering when we met (which was my first)? Sure glad that she was persuaded that even a few could have a good time!

ole joyful