Panko Crusted Asparagus with Soy-Ginger Drizzle

This weekend, my mom is throwing me a baby shower. A lot of my friends from high school and college are flying in, along with a handful of my mom's friends. I'm super excited to see everyone. knowing my love for food, my mom asked me to help plan the menu for the shower. This asparagus was one of the options I considered for an appetizer, but it was later nixed. I previewed the asparagus for my cousin last Saturday to taste it. We both loved it! This is a great healthy appetizer for a party - many thanks to Dana for sharing the recipe with her followers! One note - these are messy, and I think they are  best served warm, that's why we nixed it.

Roasted Sesame and Panko Coated Asparagus with Soy-Ginger Drizzle

Source: Bon Appétit via Dana - Treat Yourself

Serves 4-6

Ingredients 

¼ cup mayonnaise

4 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar, divided

3 teaspoons soy sauce, divided

1 ¼ teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger, divided


1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

¼ cup sesame seeds

1 pound thick asparagus spears, trimmed, bottom 2/3 of each spear peeled

1 teaspoon golden brown sugar


1 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce

½ teaspoons sesame oil

Directions 

Preheat oven to 450°F. Oil large rimmed baking sheet. Whisk mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon grated ginger in pie dish. Mix panko and sesame seeds in another pie dish. Toss asparagus in mayonnaise mixture to coat, then roll in panko mixture. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Roast until browned, turning once, about 16 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk 1 teaspoon water, brown sugar, chili-garlic sauce, remaining 3 teaspoons vinegar, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, ¼ teaspoon ginger, and ¼ teaspoon sesame oil in small bowl for sauce. Transfer asparagus to platter, drizzle with sauce.

Too bad my friends will miss out on this one. I'll have lots of pics from the shower next week - expect food, friends, fashion and more to come - I can hardly wait!