FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER--spaghetti with lemon & asparagus

   Another asparagus dish!  A lot of rich ingredients in the sauce, but it doesn't seem heavy at all. The lemon zest is a wonderful addition.  The original recipe calls for eight asparagus spears, but I increased them to about a half pound.....  I love asparagus!  Enjoy!

       JEAN YVES LEGARVE's SPAGHETTI WITH LEMON AND ASPARAGUS
                                          
   Salt
8 ounces spaghetti
6 tablespoons butter
8 fresh asparagus spears, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
  (I increased my asparagus to about 1/2 pound)
   Zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 grates of nutmeg
   Juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
   Freshly ground pepper
1.  Bring three and a half quarts of water to a boil in a large pot.
2.  Stir in one tablespoon of salt.  Add the spaghetti, stir, and cook it al dente, or just until tender, for about six minutes.  Stir often.
3.  Melt the butter in a medium-size frying pan.  Add the asparagus and cook over heat for about six minutes.
4.  Meanwhile, finely grate the zest of the lemon.
5.  Add the eggs, heavy cream, Parmesan, nutmeg, parsley and half of the lemon juice to the lemon zest and combine well.
6.  You should have a subtle lemon flavor.  Add more lemon juice to the sauce, if necessary.
7.  Drain the spaghetti.  Immediately return it to the pot it was cooked in, and add the butter, asparagus and the lemon sauce.  Toss well.
8.  Turn the heat to low and toss the pasta constantly, but gently,  over the heat for about 30 seconds.  It should thicken slightly.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
                           SERVES 3 as a main course.