Asparagus Canapés

Delightful, decadent and bite-sized, Asparagus Canapés are easy to pop into your mouth! It is impossible to eat just one!

Why We Love It

In this house, cheese is wonderful on almost anything--especially when it's melted. Don't even get me started on our list of ooey gooey cheese faves! And veggies with cheese?--Yes, please!--especially if that list includes broccoli, cauliflower or asparagus.

Any time I can have an oozing, cheesy bite-sized portion of anything, it's a good day. So for me, enjoying Asparagus Canapés is the ultimate treat.

Never heard of canapés ? No worries! There are many different kinds and we'll cover more on that later (but if you're really eager, you can skip ahead and read about them here). In the meantime, think of a canapé as a sophisticated grilled cheese rolled up into a savory, bite-sized, hors d'oeuvre perfection!

Why You'll Love It

Looking for a new Easter or spring get together appetizer? Do you like tasty things rolled up in cheesy buttery bread? Ditch the cocktail weenies this year and upgrade to something new and amazing! These Asparagus Canapés will be all the rage, so don't make the mistake I did the first time and only make half of this recipe. Both you and your guests will be thankful for that advice later.

An added bonus is that these can be made ahead of time. You simply freeze them and then bake them from frozen just before serving!

Asparagus Canapés Ingredients

• 36 stalks (about 1.5 pounds) fresh asparagus, ends trimmed (medium thickness works best)
• 2 (16 oz.) loaves Pepperidge Farm White Sandwich Bread, crusts trimmed
• 8 ounces Swiss cheese, grated
• 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened (Philadelphia Brand recommended)
• 1 tablespoon reduced fat mayonnaise (Hellmann's or Duke's recommended)
• 1 egg, beaten
• Butter, melted (enough to dip canapés into, usually 1 stick or less)

How to make Asparagus Canapés

You'll want to gather the following equipment:

• large pot with lid
• cutting board
• chef's knife
• collander
• medium mixing bowl
• small serrated knife
• rolling pin
• cheese grater
• small mixing bowl
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• mixing spoon
• microwave safe bowl
• large, rimmed baking pan/cookie sheet

Getting Started

Prep:

• Soften the cream cheese on your counter for easier handling later.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place a large covered pot with water on your stove. Bring to a boil while you prep the asparagus.

Prep the asparagus. Rinse, pat dry and place on the cutting board. Using your chef's knife, trim off 2-3 inches (including the woodsy ends) from the bottom of each stalk. We will only be using the upper portion of the stalk (with tip) for this recipe.

Asparagus hot tub time! By now, your water should be boiling or close to boiling. Once you have a rolling boil, reduce the heat slightly and place the trimmed asparagus stalks in the pot. Blanch the asparagus by cooking it over medium to high heat for only 4 mintues. Do not overcook!!!

Get the cool off ready. While the asparagus is cooking, fill a medium sized mixing bowl with cold ice water. As soon as your kitchen timer goes off, pour the asparagus into a colander to drain, then immediately transfer to the cold ice water. Let your cooked asparagus hang out in there for about 1 minute. Then use your colander to thoroughly drain the asparagus again. Set aside.

Kitchen Ready Betty tip: The reason we take this extra step is to preserve the beautiful, green hues of the asparagus. The longer asparagus cooks, the less stunning it looks. By only cooking it for a few minutes (blanching), it doesn't lose much green. Shocking it next with the cold ice water bath stops the asparagus from cooking further to help preserve its vibrancy.

Now let's trim that bread! Unwrap both loaves of bread. Discard the heels (the ends). Then trim the crust from the remaining slices.

Kitchen Ready Betty tip: Save the crusts for a homemade stuffing, bread pudding, or simply feed the birds---don't let it go to waste!

Time to flex those muscles and grab your rolling pin! Hunker down, because you will be rolling all the bread slices flat. Yes, it's a little bit of work, but so worth it! Roll the bread as flat as you can for a smoother finish in the end! (If you need a break, you can always start working on the cheese filling in the next step and come back to this one.)

In a small mixing bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, swiss cheese, mayonnaise and egg. The mixture will be thick, creamy and delicious!

Kitchen Ready Betty tip: To save time, I often buy shredded swiss cheese, but yes, I admit it tastes better if you grate it yourself!

Assemble the canapés! Place a slice of flattened bread on your workspace. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture on top. Place one stalk of asparagus in the center. Then roll the bread slice up tightly like a taquito. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Slice each "roll up" into three pieces.

Melt butter in microwaveable safe dish.

Dip each piece into the melted butter to lightly coat.

Freeze for later or bake now. You may choose to make these ahead of time, freeze and then bake later (you will bake them from frozen and just add on some extra bake time).

To bake, arrange the Asparagus Canapés on a prepared, rimmed baking sheet. Canapés can be very close together on the sheet, but should not be overlapping. I have one large sheet and one smaller sheet that just fit side by side in my oven so that all can be baked at the same time. If I didn't have this option, I would bake the canapés in shifts. (Your guests will be happy that more are on the way!)

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mintues (flip halfway through) or until well browned (add on extra time if baking from frozen). Allow to cool off slightly, then serve warm!

Asparagus Canapés Leftovers?

Store in an airtight container. Refrigerate and enjoy within 5 days. Asparagus Canapés taste best when warm. Reheat leftovers in a 325 degree oven for 10 minutes or until heated through.

So what exactly is a canapé?

Don't feel bad if you've never heard of them. I'll admit, I never did before my aunt was gracious enough to share this recipe with me. Pronounced "cah-nah-pay", they originated in France and are an appetizer/hors d'oeuvre.

There are many different types of canapés, but most have these key components:

• a bread, pastry or cracker base
• a flavorful spread (usually consisting of one or more of the following: butter, cream cheese, or mayo)
• a topping (usually meat, veggies, or fruit-- and sometimes a combination of more than one)

Often served with cocktails, canapés should be bite-sized and easily eaten within 1-2 bites.

Fun Fact: The word canapé in French means "sofa". It is believed the edible canapé shares the same name because people sit on top of a sofa, just as toppings sit on top of the bread or pastry base!