The asparagus is simply blanched and shocked in cold water to keep its crunch and brilliant green color.  The goat cheese, coated with ash and aged for 3 weeks, is from les Chèvres de Brassenx, a tiny producer in the hills just outside Orthez. For the vinaigrette, I chose a simple mix of shallots, red wine vinegar and olive oil. The final garnish of chive blossoms and chopped parsley.  Open a full bodied bottle of white wine, add a crispy baguette and enjoy!

Bethany Jean Clement, who writes for the Seattle Times and whom I count as a friend, was recently in touch with a question about a recipe for asparagus we used to cook at Le Pichet and Cafe Presse.  She was also kind enough to inquire about our new life here in France and has now written an article about our conversation.  Check it out here.

Green asparagus from Les Landes were in the market for the first time this spring, a true cause for celebration.  The area of Les Landes is just north of the Béarn, and is known for its sandy soil (and in 2022, for its terrible forest fires!) that is perfect for asparagus. Les Landes asparagus is considered to be the finest in France.

White asparagus arrived the week week before, but I have never really understood its appeal. Les flavorful, more fibrous and more expensive (?!), I generally leave it to those who love it – my apologies if that is you, please feel free to email me and tell me why I am wrong.

Anyway, very fresh asparagus is quick and easy to cook and is done in moments.  Wash the asparagus well, then snap off the tough bottom part of the stem. I dont think that there is any need to peel. I prefer the fat stems, and like them simply steamed with sea salt, pepper, a few tablespoons of water and a big knob of butter.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and cook gently  until the stems are tender but not soft, about 4 minutes. Remove the spears to a warm serving plate, then reduce the cooking liquid until syrupy and spoon over the asparagus.  With a roasted farm chicken, Heaven!

Note, here I have added a bay leaf, as we just completed pruning the very busy bay laurel that grows in our yard, and have dried a bunch for future use.

Our farm suppliers tell us that this may be the last weekend of the season for local asparagus! To our minds, WA State asparagus is so much better than any other available that we stop serving asparagus altogether once the WA season is over. Stop by Le Pichet or Café Presse this weekend to try it before it is gone for the year!

Saturday Night take out meals from Le Pichet included your choice of grilled chipolata sausages or broiled sockeye salmon with grilled Yakima asparagus and a baked casserole with smashed Yukon potatoes, onions, leeks, thyme and Parmesan cheese. Miam Miam

Of course, these photos were taken before we had to stop serving because of the 5pm curfew in the city of Seattle. Strange days!

If you would like to order Saturday Dinner for next weekend, visit our website Tuesday morning to see the menu, select your pick up time and complete your order on line!

Cold poached salmon from Le Pichet’s Saturday Take Out Dinner last weekend, 5/16. The menu for this coming Saturday’s Dinner will be posted Tuesday morning 5/19…watch our website for menu and ordering details!

PS: Hard for us to get used to the to-go containers, lacks a certain je ne sait quoi. Sigh!

Yakima asparagus with chopped white and yolk of hard cooked egg, herbed creme fraiche and crispy fried shallots.

Just added to the menu at Le Pichet:
Broiled Washington asparagus served with chopped white and yolk of hard cooked egg, herb-lemon crème fraîche and crispy shallots

Warming the blanched asparagus with olive oil  before serving brings out its rich, herby flavor.

Our Spring Dinner at Café Presse on May 24th was a big success, our thanks to everyone who attended.  The dinner, which featured lamb, asparagus and rosé wine, was the second of our 2016 seasonal dinners, following the Jura Wine Dinner in February that featured the cuisine and wines of this lesser known alpine region of France (including Poulet aux Vin Jaune...check out my recipe).

These seasonal dinners are a ton of fun for us in the kitchen.  They allow us to use what I call “micro-seasonal” ingredients, things that won’t be in season long enough to find a place on the regular menu.  They also let us work with products that might be a little to pricey for the regular menu.

Anyway, we thought everything turned out great and hope that our guests agreed.  If you would like to attend one of our Seasonal Dinners, watch our website or sign up for our newsletter to get the latest info.  The next dinner will be in late August.

In the meantime, here are some pics of last Tuesday’s dinner.