asparagus, goat cheese & caramelized lemon tartines

 

It is the time of year when we crave light, super-fresh, colorful foods. Inspired by 101 Cookbook's Avocado Asparagus Tartine recipe, I came up with these simple open-faced sandwiches to get my fix of tangy green summer flavors.

"I want lemons to be involved, but how can I make them more interesting? Has anyone ever caramelized lemons?" I love caramelized onions so much, hence my thoughts of applying it to everything else. I'm sure it's been done before, but I was pretty excited by this new (to me) idea. So simple! They did not get as sweet as I thought they would... still plenty tart, which was fine by me. If you are not a fan of sour, perhaps you could add some honey when you cook them. 

The best part about cooking the lemon slices this way is that it leaves a wonderfully flavorful oil for which to quickly cook you asparagus in. Lemon and asparagus are best buddies, don't ya know.

The combo of the fresh, green asparagus, tangy,creamy cheese, toasty nuts & bread, and tart lemons made for a lovely and bright dinner.  

Asparagus, Goat Cheese & Caramelized Lemon Tartines

-2 lemons, thinly sliced

-2 Tablespoons olive oil

-1 bunch thin asparagus spears, rinsed and trimmed to roughly the length of you bread slices

-6 slices of good whole-grain bread

-4 oz. log goat cheese

-handful of toasted pistachio meats, roughly chopped, for topping

Heat 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet. Cook the lemon slices in a single layer, about 3 minutes each side. remove from pan. Toast the bread slices. Add the other Tablespoon of oil to the lemon oil and cook the asparagus in the skillet until just barely heated and bright green (it should still be crunchy). Spread some goat cheese on the toasted bread slices, lay 4-5 asparagus spears on top. Top with lemon slices and toasted pistachios.

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