Don’t you just love spring! These three recipes bring the freshness of the season to your table. Use them together to make a great ladies tea, church brunch or family dinner. They’re not only delicious, but they display beautifully and can be made in advance.

Why don’t you make it a truly eventful meal? Find a pick-your-own strawberry farm to visit with the kids on a Saturday morning and use the strawberries to make scones and parfaits in the afternoon.
– Elise Johnson

Roasted Asparagus Quiche

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 bunches asparagus spears
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Zest of one large lemon
• 1 dozen large eggs
• 1 cup half and half
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the bottoms of your washed and dried asparagus spears by approximately 2 inches. Place your spears on a large baking sheet or use the bottom of your broiler pan like I do. Coat your spears with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss well. Bake on the top rack of your oven for about 10 minutes or until your spears are roasted a bit, but still firm. You never want to overcook your vegetables particularly because these will be baked in the quiche.

While your asparagus is roasting in the oven, begin building your quiche by mixing together in a large bowl the eggs, half and half, ground nutmeg, chopped scallions and Parmesan cheese.

As soon as the asparagus is removed from the oven, zest lemons over top.

Cut half of the asparagus into 2-inch pieces. Reserve the whole asparagus for later. Add the cut pieces of roasted asparagus to your egg mixture and pour into your prepared pan.  Place your baking pan in front of you horizontally. Arrange each piece of asparagus on top of the quiche alternating the directions of each piece.

Place pan in preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Yields: One 9-inch by 13-inch pan

Strawberries and Cream Scones

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup cold butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup diced fresh strawberries
• Zest and juice of one large orange
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• Raw sugar for top of scones

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a food processor combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pulse a couple of times. Add pieces of cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour the mixture into a large bowl.  Toss in the beautiful diced strawberries and the aromatic orange zest.

Tip: Coating dried fruit, chocolate chips or nuts in a little flour will prevent them from sinking to the bottom when baking.

In a measuring cup, combine the whipping cream, egg yolk and almond extract. Add this to the dry mixture and stir with a fork just until combined. Be sure to not over mix. The mixture will appear dry, but is quite wet. Turn the mixture onto a floured board or counter. This is where the fun begins! Gently press the mixture together until it can be easily kneaded. Don’t you just love the feeling of dough? Knead the dough for 2 minutes by folding and gently pressing the dough together until it is nearly smooth. Roll out into an 8-inch circle. Cut into 8 large beautiful wedges.

Place on a greased baking stone or cookie sheet. Sprinkle raw sugar over the top of the scones. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned on top. It is fun for children to watch the scones “puff up” in the oven. When the dry acid in the baking powder is added to wet ingredients, it begins to react and produce carbon dioxide bubbles just like yeast.

Yields: 8 large scones

No Recipe Needed Orange Glaze

• Juice of one orange
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Enough powdered sugar to form a glaze (this will depend on how much juice you yield from your orange)

In a small bowl, combine fresh orange juice and vanilla extract. Add a little powdered sugar at a time until you reach a drizzling consistency. Once the scones are removed from the oven, transfer to a cooling rack with a piece of parchment or wax paper underneath for easy cleanup. Drizzle the glaze over top. This glaze will dry in only a few minutes.

Berry Parfaits

• 2 (8 ounce) packages Neufchatel cheese
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup agave nectar
• 3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoons, or more, of milk
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 quart strawberries, sliced
• 1 pint blueberries
• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1 ½ cups red grapes, sliced
• 1 cup of your favorite granola
• Mint leaves for pretty garnish, optional

In a blender, whip up Neufchatel cheese, vanilla extract, agave nectar, milk and cinnamon until smooth.

In another bowl, whip up heavy whipping cream, sugar and almond extract for about three to four minutes or until you achieve a whipped cream consistency.

Gently fold your whipping cream into your Neufchatel mixture.

Begin layering your glasses by placing two tablespoons of granola on the bottom of the glass.  Place a little parfait next, a few of the assorted berries, followed by parfait again. Continue this pattern until you reach the top.

End with a dollop of whipped cream, a couple of berries, a sprinkling of granola and a small cluster of mint leaves!

Yields: 7 large glasses