Great deal on asparagus!

There's a small farmer's market/country store near the house in an old, fixed up barn. I kept thinking about going but just never made it until a few days ago. It's teeny tiny inside but they do have good deals. They had asparagus that was locally grown for 1.39/lb! I couldn't believe it. At the grocery store, it was 3.99/lb. So I bought two bunches. I love fresh asparagus!

So, to use up some of the asparagus, I made something from my new Amish cookbook and it was so good!!!

Delicate Asparagus Pie

Pastry for 1-crust 9-inch pie
8 slices bacon
1 1/2 pounds fresh or 1 10-ounce box frozen chopped asparagus
10 ounces grated swiss cheese
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup half-and-half, at room temperature
3 shakes of hot red pepper sauce
salt and pepper
paprika

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the pastry and line a 9-inch pie pan. Bake the pastry shell for 10 minutes, checking it regularly. Prick any bubbles with a fork. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels and then crumble into small pieces. Sprinkle on the bottom of the prebaked pastry shell; set aside.

In a vegetable steamer, over boiling water, steam the fresh asparagus for 3 minutes. If using frozen, cook according to package directions. Drain on paper towels and cool.

Ina small mixing bowl, combine the cheese and flour; set aside. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, pepper sauce, and salt and pepper to taste; stir in the cheese. Arrange the asparagus pieces in a layer in top of the crumbled bacon and pour the eggs on top. Do not combine. Spinkle the pie with paprika and bake for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the pie is a deep golden brown. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.