Recipe - Asparagus-Cheese Casserole

4 tablespoon Unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Unsalted butter
3 tablespoon Flour
One half teaspoon Salt
One fourth teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
One fourth teaspoon Ground mace
1 cup Milk
One half cup Whipping cream
10 One half ounce Frozen asparagus spears
cooked according to the
package directions
and drained well.
2 lg Eggs, hardcooked
peeled & coarsely chopped
Three fourths cup Grated sharp Cheddar cheese
One half cup Minced blanched almonds
1 cup Soft white bread crumbs
One fourth cup Freshly grated Parmesan

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350F. In a medium saucepan set over moderate heat, melt the
butter. Spoon 4 teaspoons of the melted butter into a bowl. Set aside.
Blend the flour, salt, pepper and mace into the rest of the butter and let
it sit over low heat for 1to2 minutes. Add the milk and cream and cook
the sauce, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes, until it has become
thick and smooth. In a wellbuttered, 2quart casserole, alternate layers
of the asparagus, eggs, Cheddar cheese and almonds. Pour the cream sauce
over the layers. Combine the reserved butter, bread crumbs and Parmesan
cheese and scatter the topping over the layers. Combine the reserved
butter, bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and scatter the topping over the
surface of the casserole. Bake the uncovered casserole for about 30
minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the topping is tipped with brown.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini