Have you been tasked with bringing a springtime platter of food to feed a crowd for brunch later this month? I make a version of this sunny salad for Easter brunch every year. It's a lovely way to show off the season's new asparagus, while ticking the boxes for fresh, gluten-free and crowd-pleasing, with a visual wow-factor worthy of a buffet spread.

The garnishes make all of the difference in this salad. Oven-crisped prosciutto yields satisfyingly crunchy, salty shards to the al dente asparagus, and a topping of egg mimosa not only symbolizes spring, it's pretty darn colorful. Wait, Mimosa, you ask? No, I am not talking about the sparkly champagne brunch cocktail (although that would make a mighty fine accompaniment to this salad). Mimosa is a French culinary term that refers to finely grated or sieved hard-cooked eggs, which are dusted over salads and vegetables or used as the key ingredient in deviled eggs. You might understand why the eloquent-minded French would select the term "mimosa" for such a preparation. Not only is it wonderfully poetic and mellifluous to say, it's also apt in description: The crumbled canary yellow yolk of the egg resembles the brilliant mimosa flower, which blooms early in the spring.

The whole salad is napped together with a bright and lemony vinaigrette and finished with delicate spring herbs, such as tarragon and chervil. If you are looking for a springtime salad statement, this is your salad.

Roasted Asparagus Salad With Crispy Prosciutto and Egg Mimosa

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

1 pound asparagus (medium thickness), ends trimmed

1 tablespoon plus 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces prosciutto

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon champagne vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

4 ounces mixed spring greens (such as arugula, mizuna, spinach)

2 hard-cooked eggs

1/4 cup fresh tarragon or chervil, chopped

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, lightly season with salt and pepper, and turn to coat. Transfer to the oven and roast until the asparagus are bright green and crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the stalks. Remove and transfer the asparagus to a plate to cool. Do not turn off the oven.

While the asparagus cool, arrange the prosciutto in one layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Transfer to the oven and bake until the prosciutto is shriveled and firm to the touch, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature (the prosciutto will continue to harden as it cools). Break the slices into shards.

Whisk the 1/3 cup oil, the lemon juice, champagne vinegar, mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.

Spread the greens on a serving platter or in a wide, shallow serving bowl. Arrange the asparagus in the center of the greens. Drizzle the dressing around the asparagus. Grate the eggs over the asparagus, and then sprinkle the prosciutto shards and the tarragon over the entire salad. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper. Serve at room temperature.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

The bane of my childhood candy experience was a Mounds bar. I just didn't get it. I would bite into the promising chocolate nugget, which would immediately give way to a chewy, shredded, nutty interior, that, in my opinion, had no rightful place in a chocolate bar. It was clearly the texture that I did not like.

I was mystified by my friends, who bought super-sized packages of Almond Joys to scarf down when we went to the movies. Every Halloween, when my brothers and I would pile our loot in the middle of the kitchen table, gloating and eyeing trade-ups, my chocolate-covered coconut bars were the first I'd offer up with no regrets. Sadly, my brothers were not so keen on coconut either, so the negotiating could get ugly.

As a parent, it baffled me that my children loved coconut. But as chief cookie baker, I stepped up to the plate and used coconut more and more freely in bars, cakes and cookies. And you know what? I, too, developed a fondness for this tropical "nut," appreciating its flaky fresh and nutty interruption in a sea of sugar. I guess you could say I grew up.

I eat coconut now, unforced, and prefer it paired with dark chocolate. Sometimes I make macaroons, a jumble of coconut bound together with egg white and condensed milk. Yes, the milk is icky-sweet, but it seems to yield the best juicy-soft interior, which is what prevents dryness and distinguishes a great macaroon. I've followed a recipe from Ina Garten from time to time, but switch out some of the sweetened coconut with unsweetened, which I find reduces some of the cloyness, and add a whiff of almond extract. Oh, and I always give them a generous dunk in dark chocolate, which has a magnificent grounding effect on, well, everything.

Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Yield: Makes about 24

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

7 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

7 ounces unsweetened shredded coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 large egg whites, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 ounces dark (70 percent) chocolate

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the milk, coconut, vanilla and almond extract in a large bowl and stir to blend.

Beat the egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gently fold into the coconut.

Drop heaping tablespoon-sized mounds of coconut, about 1 1/2 inches apart, on the baking sheets. Bake on the center rack in the oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheets to ensure even baking. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

While the cookies are baking, melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water at low heat, stirring until smooth. Dip one half of each macaroon in the melted chocolate and transfer to a board or platter lined with parchment.

Refrigerate until set. Store at room temperature for up to 4 days.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

For an easy and warming weeknight meal, nothing beats a hearty vegetable soup or stew. Soups are often quick to prepare and nonjudgmental when it comes to emptying the contents of the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator, and they always portend a healthy and resourceful dinner. One of my favorite go-to soup stocks is Italian-inspired and tomato-based, sometimes with a splash of wine, and often with a rind of cheese added into the mix to exude delicious umami flavor while the soup simmers. I'll then finish with beans or grains and handfuls of sturdy greens, which obligingly wilt when simmered in the stock just long enough to soften without discoloring.

For this soup, I tweaked my favorite method and took a detour farther south and east to Greece for inspiration. A splash of ouzo and a handful of feta cheese made me do it. Ouzo is a Greek anise-flavored liqueur, which nicely amplifies the fennel in the soup while smoothing out the natural acidity of the tomatoes. And rather than my usual hunk of parmesan rind, I remained in Greece for inspiration and sprinkled crumbled feta over the soup for sharp and salty oomph. I must say I was pleased with this little detour, and I hope you are too.

Greek White Bean Stew With Tomato, Feta and Ouzo

Active time: 35 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

Yield: serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced, fronds reserved for garnish

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, with juices

1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for a vegetarian option)

2 tablespoons anise liqueur, such as ouzo

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 small bunch, about 6 leaves, Swiss chard or lacinato kale

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Crumbled feta for garnish

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent and the fennel softens, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, thyme and red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste to blend and then add the wine. Simmer until the wine is reduced by about one-third, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, ouzo, bay leaf, sugar, salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning, and add another tablespoon of ouzo if desired.

While the stew is simmering, remove the tough stems from the chard or kale, stack the leaves, and slice crosswise into thin ribbons. Stir the greens and the white beans into the stew and cook until the greens wilt, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. If the stew is too thick, top off with additional chicken stock and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Ladle the soup into serving bowls and serve garnished with crumbled feta and the reserved fennel fronds.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS