Bruschetta With Eggs and Lobster, Spring Greens, Asparagus and Almond Cake

Bruschetta With Eggs and Lobster

Serves 8. Note: Bruschetta (broo-SKEH-tah) is a traditional toasted bread topped with something tasty. If you cut the bread on the diagonal, you will get more surface. You can toast the bread an hour or so in advance, but the eggs and lobster need to be cooked right before serving. Each 5-ounce lobster tail will provide 4 ounces of meat. Boursin is a creamy soft cheese with the texture of cream cheese, which comes flavored with herbs. It's a tasty alternative to cream cheese. For large soft curds of eggs, keep your stirring to a minimum.

• 1 baguette, cut in 16 (1/2 -in.) slices

• 1 garlic clove, peeled

• Butter

• 2 or more (5 oz. each) lobster tails (defrosted, if frozen)

• 14 eggs, beaten until yolks and whites are well-combined

• Fresh chives, chopped

• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

• Truffle oil

Directions

Toast bread in oven or in toaster. Rub one side of each slice with garlic (if you don't like garlic, omit this). Butter and set aside.

Choice of options for cooking lobster:

• Remove meat from shell and sauté whole in 2 tablespoons butter, basting it often, for about 5 to 8 minutes, until cooked through, then chop or slice for the eggs, or

• Remove uncooked meat from shell and chop into chunks and sauté in 2 tablespoons butter before adding to the eggs, or

• Poach meat in the shell for about 3 minutes in water to which some white wine, carrot, celery, onion, chile flakes, fennel seed, mustard seed, peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme, kosher salt and lemon and oranges have been added. (Bring the water to a simmer before adding the tail.) This is how Bar La Grassa prepares its whole live lobster, which is used in this dish (for its specific proportions, see startribune.com/tabletalk). After the tail is cooked, the meat is removed from the shell and cut into chunks for the eggs.

To prepare the eggs: In each of 2 nonstick pans (or 1 large pan), melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add eggs and turn heat to medium-low. For the largest curds, cook eggs with little stirring, instead pushing cooked part aside with a spatula and allowing uncooked eggs to move into place. When almost done, add cream cheese and stir. Remove from heat. (Eggs will continue to cook.)

Variations (instead of lobster):

• Smoked salmon, topped with fresh dill instead of chives.

• Cooked crabmeat (not the fake stuff, please!).

• Small or medium-size cooked shrimp.

• Cooked white fish.

Calories375Fat26 gSodium500 mg

Carbohydrates13 gSaturated fat13 gCalcium93 mg

Protein22 gCholesterol440 mgDietary fiber0 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 bread/starch, 3 medium-fat meat, 2 fat.

Spring Greens

Keep the salad simple as there is enough complexity with the eggs.

• 3 to 4 c. butterhead lettuce leaves, or mix of other greens (such as frisée)

• Radishes, thinly sliced

• Small grape-size tomatoes, optional

• 1/4 c. olive oil

• Salt and freshly cracked pepper

Directions

Place a handful of lettuce leaves on the individual brunch plates with the eggs. Scatter a few radish slices and tiny tomatoes.

To make vinaigrette, whisk in olive oil to the wine vinegar. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle on the salad.

Roasted Asparagus

• 1 to 2 lb. asparagus (see Note)

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

• Strips of lemon peel, for garnish

Directions

Nutrition information per serving (with 2 pounds for 8 servings):

Calories42Fat3 gSodium1 mg

Carbohydrates2 gSaturated fat0 gCalcium15 mg

Protein1 gCholesterol0 mgDietary fiber1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1/2 fat.

Note: Almond paste comes in a tube, in the baking section of supermarkets. It's not critical to the recipe and can be omitted, but it will add an extra layer of almond flavor (if you don't use it, lessen the milk by 2 tablespoons). The cake can be made up to a day in advance, or longerif frozen. Adapted from "Come One, Come All/ Easy Entertaining With Seasonal Menus," by Lee Svitak Dean.

• 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

• 7 oz. (3/4 c. ) almond paste (see Note)

• 2 c. sugar

• 6 eggs, separated

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 c. milk

• 1 tbsp. almond extract

• Powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and almond paste thoroughly. Add sugar slowly and continue beating until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder thoroughly.

In a cup or small bowl, combine milk and almond extract.

Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; gently fold into batter thoroughly.

Spoon into well-greased, 10-cup tube pan (an angel food cake pan or Bundt pan) or in 2 loaf pans. Bake for about 50 to 55 minutes (slightly less for loaf pans), or until cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.

Loosen cake gently around rim and tube. Cool completely before removing from pan. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories267Fat13 g

Carbohydrates33 gCalcium60 mg

Protein4 gCholesterol88 mgDietary fiber1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 bread/starch, 1 other carb, 2 1/2 fat.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce Makes about 2 cups.

Note: Make this the same day it is served for the best color and texture. Zest is the colored part of the skin on citrus fruit (not the white pith, which is bitter). Don't like rhubarb? Just use strawberries.

•1/4 c. sugar

• 2 c. chopped (1/4 -in. pieces) rhubarb (2 large stalks), fresh or frozen

• Juice and zest from 1 orange (about 1/4 c. orange juice and 1 tbsp. orange zest)

Directions