Luce & Hawkins and asparagus and springtime
Asparagus quiche -- that is, an asparagus custard garnished with puff-pastry crescents -- is on the early spring menu at Luce & Hawkins in Jamesport. (April 21, 2012) Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
This weekend marked my first 2012 visit to the North Fork and, as luck would have it, the asparagus harvest had just begun. I spied a couple of bunches at Goodale Farms in Aquebogue and snapped them up on the way to lunch at Luce & Hawkins in Jamesport — where chef-owner Keith Luce had, apparently, been similarly inspired.
Luce billed his starter as “asparagus quiche,” but it was really a custard shot through and topped with asparagus. A garnish of puff-pastry crescents added a quiche-y note, a little mound of smoked salmon caviar recapitulated the egg theme.
And what eggs. They’re from Luce’s own chickens and they lent the custard a deep, marigold hue and startlingly rich texture. Here was a big serving of spring in a ramekin.
The rest of lunch was terrific: Luce’s signature NoFo duck wings, a salad of field greens and seared scallops, a juicy burger with hot, crisp French fries. I was too full to eat dinner.
At home the next morning, however, I cooked half the asparagus and served them with scrambled eggs. For dinner, I used the rest of the asparagus (plus penne and lots of Parmesan) to make a sort of carbonara with asparagus instead of pancetta. Happy spring.
Luce & Hawkins is at 400 S. Jamesport Ave. Jamesport, 631-722-2900.
