Spargelfest 2011 at Black Forest Inn

I had the chance to visit Black Forest Inn at the beginning of the ten-day Spargelfest, a celebration and sampling of dishes prepared with fresh asparagus running from May 20-May 30, 2011.  This year Black Forest Inn will work with 300 lbs of fresh asparagus that was produced by the Southeast Minnesota Food Network.

Here is a sneak-peek of the 2011 Spargelfest menu and some of the delicious items that we got to try courtesy of Black Forest Inn.

• Royal Spargeltini ~ Asparagus Cocktail
• Bloody AsparaMary ~ Spicy Bloody Mary with Asparagus Twist
• Spargeltini ~ I had the pleasure of trying asparagus-infused  vodka for the very first time in this original cocktail, an earthy but refreshing flavor that was paired with a citrus infused vodka.  Very good with the mild taste of asparagus.

• Pastry Wrapped Spargel Appetizer ~ Asparagus wrapped with ham and puff pastry
• Artichoke and Spargel Spread ~ Warm, creamy dip of blended artichoke and asparagus served with flatbread.
• Veal Oscar ~ Seared Veal Medallions topped with Asparagus, Crab Meat and Hollandaise Sauce.  Served with Rice.  Sounds amazing, doesn’t it!?
• Steak with Spargel and Hollandaise ~ Filet served with Steamed Asparagus and Hollandaise
• Spargel and Rhubarb Strudel ~ Interesting dessert
• Tangy Spargel, Mushroom and Carrot Nosh ~ This appetizer was a refreshing and fresh bowl of asparagus, carrots and mushrooms which were tossed in herbs, oil and vinegar to give it a quick pickling.  The vegetables were all very big, crisp and zesty.

• Cream of Spargel Soup ~ One bite of this delicious soup had me declaring it my new favorite, something I could eat regularly.  The soup was flavorful with just a mild taste of asparagus along with other flavors.  The asparagus had been cooked then blended to a very fine consistency and then a little cream was added.  To give it contrasting texture, thin slices of cooked asparagus were added. I thought this was the perfect touch.  Even better would be having a thick slice of warm crusty bread for dipping.  Delish!

• Spargel Brown Rice Salad ~ This is another refreshing salad offered during Spargelfest, starting with a bed of greens then topped with pearl couscous, brown rice, red onion, artichokes, mandarin oranges, and fresh asparagus.  Everything was tossed in a very light, lemony dressing.  This had a great combination of textures and flavors, from the tangy artichoke to the citrusy oranges and dressing, to the crunchiness of the earthy asparagus and the soft rice and couscous.  I also detected fresh mint. Light and lovely!

• Spargel Perogi ~ This was a delicious twist on the traditional potato perogi.  This Spargelfest version also included blended asparagus and small pieces of cooked onion and asparagus.  The pockets of pasta were then topped with a creamy asparagus sauce, two stalks of steamed asparagus and crushed hazelnuts browned in butter.  These were excellent, I can see why they are one of the items that has become a Spargelfest menu staple from one year to the next.

• Spargel and Ham ~ The fresh asparagus was steamed to perfection and presented with a plate of thinly sliced fried ham from Fischer Farms.  The Asparagus speaks for itself and if you haven’t ever had the amazingly delicious cured ham from Fischer Farms, you will surely want to do so at the next possible chance.  The hollandaise gave both the ham and the asparagus that extra special creaminess.

Spargelfest runs until May 30th so now is the time to head to Black Forest Inn to try any of these delicious asparagus dishes!