Its spring! The perfect time to try these eggs and asparagus recipes!

If you love asparagus, take full advantage of the local Ontario variety while it's in season.

In my last post I shared an Impossibly Easy Ham and Asparagus Pie. Here are a couple more asparagus and eggs recipes.

This recipe for Shirred Eggs and Asparagus is from Lucy Waverman; she developed a dozen recipes for Egg Farmers of Ontario many years ago. Many of them I still use often.

Shirred Eggs and Asparagus

Makes 4 servings

• 16 asparagus spears, trimmed
• 4 slices bread
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 eggs
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• Shaved Parmesan cheese

Cook asparagus in a pan of boiling water until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Cut asparagus in half. Toast bread, then butter one side. Cut each slice so it fits into the bottom of a 1-cup buttered ramekin or custard cup, buttered side up. Layer asparagus on top. Season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Gently break two eggs on top of Parmesan cheese in each ramekin. Drizzle cream over eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven until whites are set and yolks are still runny, 12 to 15 minutes, or cook a few minutes longer until yolks are firm. Sprinkle with chives and shaved Parmesan cheese.

Tip: * When asparagus is out of season, cooked spinach can be substituted.

Nearly ten years ago, Egg Farmers of Canada (then known as the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency) compiled a cookbook of omelette and frittata recipes from cooks across Canada. Here's one from Kim Robshaw of Windsor.

Prosciutto, Asiago and Asparagus Omelette

Makes 1 serving

• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp water
• Pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp butter
• 2 thin slices prosciutto, cut into strips
• 3 asparagus spears, cooked and cut into bite-sized lengths
• 1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese

Whisk eggs with water and pepper in a small bowl. Melt butter in a small (8-inch) frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour eggs into frying pan; as the egg sets at the edges, gently push cooked portions toward the centre. Tilt the pan to allow the uncooked egg to flow into the empty spaces. When the omelette is almost set, place prosciutto over half of it. Top prosciutto with asparagus and cheese. Fold unfilled side over filling. Slide omelette onto a plate.