Asparagus Recipe For Two with Cranberry Vinaigrette

This simple yet stunning roasted Asparagus Recipe for Two with roasted shallots and cranberry vinaigrette is the best way to cook asparagus – and is a perfect cooking-together date night dish.  

Looking for a recipe that is sure to impress, cooks quickly and requires little “how to cook asparagus”  knowledge?  This asparagus recipe is for you!  Or delegate this recipe to your partner and have fun cooking together. 

A date night side that pairs beautifully with Chicken Marsala, a grilled steak, Baked Halibut or salmon.  But be ready, your taste buds will be in awe by your work in the kitchen.

JUMP TO THE SECTION TO LEARN:

• INGREDIENTS TO MAKE THIS ASPARAGUS RECIPE FOR TWO
• COOKING TOGETHER RECIPE NOTES
• BEST WAY TO PREPARE ASPARAGUS
• HOW TO STORE ASPARAGUS - SOAK IN WATER!
• COOKING FOR TWO?  HERE'S HOW MUCH  ASPARAGUS TO ROAST
• ROASTING ASPARAGUS AND SHALLOTS TIPS
• MAKING THE BEST CRANBERRY VINAIGRETTE
• RATE THE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE THIS ASPARAGUS RECIPE FOR TWO

This roasted asparagus is delicious with roasted shallots and a cranberry vinaigrette.

FOR ROASTING ASPARAGUS AND SHALLOTS

• Fresh asparagus – for this recipe we roast relatively thick asparagus spears as they will allow us to get a rich sear while retaining their freshness and tender snap.
• Olive oil
• Fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Balsamic vinegar – a red wine vinegar works great.
• Salt and Pepper
• Shallots
• Cranberry vinaigrette
• Chives or parsley for garnish

FOR CRANBERRY VINGAIRETTE

• Cranberry Juice – There are many different type of cranberry juice, my rule of thumb is to buy what you will drink on its own.  We will need less than a ¼ cup.  Consider purchasing a single serve can of cranberry juice if you are not a big cranberry juice drinker.  You can easily substitute pomegranate or cherry juice.
• Balsamic vinegar
• Shallot
• Olive Oil
• Chives
• Cranberries or dried cherries
• Salt and Pepper

COOKING TOGETHER RECIPE NOTES

A couple’s cooking date is the perfect way to spend quality time connecting.  It’s a fun activity for any couple that likes to work and play together.

For this recipe, assign one person to be the “lead” and the other will be the “sous chef”.  The lead is in charge of reading the recipe and delegating tasks to the partner and to themselves.   While the “sous chef” for this recipe gets to relax and sip their drink of choice, while chopping and mixing, without having to think about what is next.

TIPS TO KEEP IT FUN

1. Shop for ingredients up to 4 days before the dinner date
2. Start your cooking playlist
3. Make ahead the cranberry vinaigrette. Depending on your menu and active cooking time needed, consider making the cranberry vinaigrette the night before and save the asparagus and shallot roasting as one of the cooking together dinner date activities. This vinaigrette will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
4. Take a break, sip your cocktail and dance with your partner

BEST WAY TO PREPARE ASPARAGUS FOR COOKING

Roasting relatively thick asparagus spears on a preheated baking sheet in a 500-degree oven, ensures that they brown deeply and quickly and avoids overcooking.  I prefer not moving the spears during cooking and allowing them to get a rich sear on one side and remain vibrant green on the other, retaining freshness and a tender snap. 

Trimming the base of the spears with a knife and peeling the lower half of the stalk removes its woody exterior.  Plus, the spears look prettier than snapping each stalk at its natural breaking point so it reduces waste. 

THE BOTTOM LINE: You’ll throw away more asparagus if you snap off the ends, and the spears won't look as long and elegant. For these reasons, I think trimming and peeling is worth the effort.  Do not use pencil-thin asparagus as they over cook too easily.

HOW TO STORE ASPARAGUS - SOAK IN WATER!

Asparagus tastes best when cooked the day you buy it. If this is part of your cooking dinner date, you will want to shop that same day. 

Otherwise, you can purchase up to 4 days ahead of the dinner date.  Store them as you would cut flowers: Trim the bottoms and stand the spears up in a glass or plastic container with about an inch of water. Cover with a plastic bag then refrigerate them for up to 4 days.  Wait until the day you cook the asparagus to peel the spears.

COOKING FOR TWO? HERE'S HOW MUCH ASPARAGUS TO ROAST

Typically, asparagus is sold in one pound bundles.  Half a pound is what I have found to be a perfectly portioned side of Asparagus. 

What to do with leftovers?

Roast all the asparagus, cut up the asparagus not served into bite size pieces and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

Toss with salads, into soups or into a pasta.  They will bring a vibrant green and tender crunch to your dish.

ROASTING ASPARAGUS AND SHALLOTS

Start by adjusting your oven rack to the lowest position, place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack and heat oven to 500 degrees. 

FOR THE SHALLOTS

Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Toss shallots with half of the olive oil mixture in the bowl, then spread the shallots out in one even layer in a small baking dish. 

Roast shallots, uncovered in the oven and reduce temperature to 400 degrees.  This will take about 20 – 25 minutes.

FOR THE ASPARAGUS

As I mentioned above, using thick asparagus between ½ and ¾ inch in diameter works best when roasting.  This avoids over cooking.

While the shallots roast, in another bowl, toss trimmed and peeled asparagus with remaining olive oil mixture.  Read the section above on how to prepare asparagus for cooking.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven.   Carefully line the hot baking sheet with parchment paper, this makes for easy clean up.  Transfer thick asparagus spears to preheated baking sheet and spread into even layer. 

Roast, without moving asparagus, until undersides of spears are browned, tops are vibrant green, and tip of paring knife inserted at base of largest spear meets little resistance, about 5 – 7 minutes. 

Not moving the spears during cooking achieves a rich sear on one side and remain vibrant green on the other.

A Dinner Date, Time Saver Tip:  You can purchase the asparagus up to 4 days before the dinner date. Wait until the day you cook to trim and peel the asparagus.

Read the section on how to store asparagus.

MAKING THE BEST CRANBERRY VINAIGRETTE DRESSING

The cranberry balsamic dressing is what carries this roasted asparagus recipe. It's flavor is tart and tangy from the balsamic vinegar and balanced with a touch of sweet cranberries. Making a balsamic based dressing is easy, but it can be a challenge to get the perfect emulsion: that’s when the oil and vinegar combine into a creamy texture instead of separating.

Over the years, I’ve found a few tips for making a perfect emulsion:

• Use a medium-sized bowl to allow for enough movement of the whisk. Trust me on this one, I’ve done it in small bowls or jars and it’s almost impossible to get the oil and vinegar to meld and not separate.
• Whisk the ingredients by hand or use a hand blender. Start with the balsamic vinegar, juice and shallots in a medium-sized bow.
• Add the olive oil slowly and gradually: I typically add it tablespoon by tablespoon and whisk in between until the oil fully incorporates.  If using a hand blender, you can add slowly a steady stream of oil.
• Mix in chives and cranberries. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

 A Dinner Date Time Saver Tip:  Make the vinaigrette ahead of the dinner date. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.