Soft boiled eggs with asparagus and green buttered soldiers

Asparagus on sale at the Capital Region Farmers Market

I love to see the piles of asparagus on offer at the market at the moment. I regret to say that I’d neglected a few bunches I bought, so I was very keen to use them this weekend. I was lucky enough to have a friend give me a very large bunch of tarragon. I very much appreciated the poached eggs with tarragon butter and asparagus I made earlier in the season, and wanted to work with the flavour combination again. I thought I could come up with something a little more complex though, and was very glad with the flavoured butter I came up with to spread on my soldiers. It all came together beautifully.

Serves 1

1	bunch	asparagus
2		free range eggs
2	teaspoons	butter
1	teaspoon	fresh tarragon leaves
1/4	teaspoon	green peppercorns
1/2	teaspoon	capers
1		anchovy
1	slice	bread

Combine the butter, tarragon leaves, green peppercorns, capers and the anchovy and chop repeatedly with your kitchen knife, till the ingredients are finely chopped, and well combined throughout the butter.

Hold the tips and ends of the asparagus spears, and bend them till they break. Discard the woody ends. Blanch the asparagus spears in boiling water till just tender.

Cook the eggs for 2 ½ – 3 minutes in boiling water.

Toast the bread and spread with the butter mixture. Remove the crusts from two opposing sides and cut the bread into soldiers.

Serve the eggs with asparagus spears and green soldiers.

Soft boiled eggs with asparagus and green buttered soldiers