Thank you Show-Me St. Louis and camera-coach Jim Viehman for a fun afternoon in Eckert’s Cooking Classroom! It was my pleasure to prepare two recipes for Show Me which will air on Friday, April 18^th.  A big thank you to Eckert’s culinary stage crew, Lana Shepek and our Dietetic Intern, Rachel,  from Southeast Missouri State for helping me set up my culinary “stage” for the filming.

In celebration of homegrown asparagus season which is just around the corner, I made Oven-Roasted Asparagus Bundles with lemon, butter and herbs. This recipe is fun way to experiment with a variety of fresh herbs. I tucked a different herb sprig into each asparagus pouch before baking. The fun part of this recipe is comparing and contrasting the ways different herbs contribute to the baked asparagus.

Have some flavorful fun at a dinner party by serving each bundle separately so that your guests can vote on their favorite flavor combination. For those of you cooking for Easter gatherings, here is a make ahead tip. Simply prepare your pouches a day or two in advance and pop them in the oven a few minutes before your meal.

Eat well this Spring! Angie

P.S. I will share the second Show-Me St. Louis recipe next week :) Stay tuned!!

Oven-Roasted Asparagus Bundles (in parchment)

42 stalks of asparagus
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
6 slices lemon
3 Tbs unsalted butter, divided
Kosher salt
6 herb springs (thyme, chives or parsley) optional
6 pieces of Parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim ends of asparagus. Divide stalks into 6 groups of 7 among the pieces of parchment paper. Place 1 lemon slice and 1 smashed garlic clove on top of each asparagus grouping. Top each grouping with herb sprig , ½ tablespoon butter and salt. Fold paper over the asparagus and seal to close. Fold down ends of paper and tuck under. Bake bundles 12-15 minutes; allow bundles to rest a few minutes before serving.

Oven Roasted Chicken with Herb Butter

Thank you Show Me St. Louis! I had a ball at the station last Thursday making Herb Butter with Host Julie. Cooking on Show-Me is always a pleasure J

I made Herb Butter in during the demo and Julie loved it on Eckert’s Bakery Bread. Luckily, I had a extra Herb Butter to take home after the demo so I decided to use it on chicken last night. The results were delicious and kid-approved!! (Really! The kids didn’t even mind the little flecks of “green stuff.””) I simply melted the herb butter in the microwave for 20 seconds and brushed it on chicken pieces from Eckert’s Butcher Shop. I hope you will give both of the recipes a try.

Thank goodness fresh herbs are finally here in our greenhouse at Eckert’s. I have started to grow a few on my windowsill and as a result I am feeling like I have a little more optimism about spring actually arriving….

Eat well this winter-like spring, Angie

Eckert’s Garlic Herb Butter - As Featured on Show Me St. Louis

1 head garlic
1 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. fresh thyme
3 Tbs. fresh rosemary
3 Tbs. fresh sage
3 Tbs. fresh parsley
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

With a knife, trim the papery tip off the head of the garlic to expose the white tips of the cloves. Leave cloves connected to the root end. Place bulb of cloves on aluminum foil. Drizzle with oil and wrap with foil. Bake 30-45 minutes or until cloves are soft when pressed. Remove foil and allow garlic to cool.

Extract the soft garlic from the skins and discard skins.

In a small bowl, combine garlic, butter and herbs until well-combined. If desired, shape butter into a log and wrap with wax paper. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Oven Roasted Chicken with Herb Butter

3 Tbs Melted Herb Butter

3 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (2 split breasts cut crosswise, 2 drumsticks, and 2 thighs)

Rinse chicken pieces and pat chicken dry with paper towels. Lightly season with salt and pepper. In a oven-proof baking pan, place chicken pieces, skin side up; arranging breast pieces in center and leg and thigh pieces around the outside of the baking pan.

Brush chicken with herb butter. (If butter is cold, warm a few seconds in microwave). Roast until breasts register 160-degrees and legs and thighs register 175-degrees about 35 to 40 minutes. Rotate the baking pan half-way through the roasting.

Transfer chicken to a warm serving platter. Tent loosely with aluminum foil and let rest 5 to 10 minutes.

We still have a few spots available in our upcoming herb classes. We are offering a herb class this Saturday, March 29th and another herb class on April 12th. Click here for a full listing of our upcoming classes.