Why serve grilled asparagus all alone on a platter? Kick it up a notch and prepare this amazing Asparagus Carrot Bouquet! It's the perfect showstopper for your dinner table or buffet!
Nonna Anna showed us an easy and beautiful way to serve an edible bouquet using grilled asparagus as the stems and wonderfully tasty glazed carrots as the flowers with jarred red pepper as the bow.
No way was Nonna Anna going to just serve grilled asparagus on one plate and the carrots in a bowl. Of course, an edible bouquet was in order!
Although both of these dishes are delicious on their own, combined together, you will dazzle your guests with the presentation!
This platter would be a beautiful addition to a brunch buffet especially festive at an Easter brunch!
Asparagus Carrot Bouquet
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Asparagus:
- 1 pound asparagus spears
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Ingredients for Ginger Ale Glazed Carrots:
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 pound carrots
- 8 ounces ginger ale, (any type, the flavor of the carrots depends on the strength of the ginger ale)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Ingredients for Asparagus Carrot Bouquet:
- 1 pound Grilled Asparagus
- ½ pound Ginger Ale Glazed Carrots
- 2-4 pieces grilled red pepper strips
Instructions
Directions for the Asparagus:
- Heat up your grill to medium.
- Wash the asparagus spears and snap off or cut off the bottom 2 to 3 inches and discard.
- Lay spears on a clean towel to dry.
- Meanwhile, put the olive oil into a flat oblong casserole dish, about 11″ x 7″ should work.
- Mash the garlic clove into the olive oil and stir well.
- Add the salt and pepper and stir until the ingredients are well distributed.
- Put the asparagus spears into the oil mixture and toss to coat well, being careful not to break off the tips of the spears.
- Lay the spears cross-wise on the grill.
- Once slightly charred on the one side, about 3-4 minutes, turn them over and cook until crisp tender, another 2-3 minutes. Be attentive, depending on the thickness of the asparagus, they will cook fairly quickly.
- Remove from the grill to a serving platter. See instructions for Asparagus Carrot Bouquet below.
Directions for Ginger Ale Glazed Carrots:
- Wash and peel the carrots. Then cut them on the diagonal about ¼″ thick.
- Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the carrots to the butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots have slightly browned, 4-5 minutes.
- Pour in the ginger ale and bring to a boil.
- Lower heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the ginger ale is reduced to a glaze.
Directions for Asparagus Carrot Bouquet:
- Arrange the asparagus on a pretty serving platter in the shape of a bouquet of flowers, narrower at the bottom and fanned out at the top.
- Arrange the carrot pieces on top of the asparagus spears to appear as flowers.
- Using the red pepper strips fashion a “bow” for the “stems” of the bouquet.
- This can be served warm or at room temperature.
Brenda Perlin
This is so cute and healthy too! Love it.