• 1 lb. asparagus, stem ends trimmed
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup light cream
• 3 egg yolks
• 1-1/4 tsp. tarragon, crumbled, or 1-1/4 Tbs. fresh, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2-1/2 cups red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 325°F. Place asparagus in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover saucepan and steam 5 minutes, or until bright green and tender. Remove steamer from saucepan. Rinse asparagus under cold water to stop cooking process. Drain and pat dry. Cut 1 inch of tip off of each asparagus spear. Set aside for garnish.

Cut remaining asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces. Place in a food processor or blender and purée. Add cream, light cream, egg yolks, 1/4 tsp. tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly. Transfer mixture into 4 buttered custard cups (about 6 ounces capacity each), or a medium-sized baking dish. Place cups in a large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of baking cups. Bake 50 minutes, or until custard is set. Remove from water and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

While custards are baking, heat oil in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add red peppers, bay leaf and stock. Cover and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until peppers are tender and lightly golden. Discard bay leaf. Transfer pepper sauce to a food processor or blender. Purée until smooth. Strain purée thorough a sieve. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more stock if sauce is too thick. (Sauce can be prepared 1 day in advance. Keep covered in refrigerator until ready to use.)

Melt butter in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté asparagus tips 1-2 minutes, or until heated throughout. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve custards in a pool of bell pepper sauce with asparagus tips as a garnish.

This recipe serves 4 people. Due to the nature of this recipe, it adjusts the number of servings in multiples of 4 only.

Per serving: calories 337, fat 30.8g, 79% calories from fat, cholesterol 203mg, protein 6.3g, carbohydrates 12.3g, fiber 3.4g, sugar 6.4g, sodium 74mg, diet points 9.1.

Dietary Exchanges: Milk: 0.0, Vegetable: 2.1, Fruit: 0.0, Bread: 0.0, Lean meat: 0.0, Fat: 5.9, Sugar: 0.0, Very lean meat protein: 0.2

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