The fresh flavor of white asparagus is worth searching for

Once you get it home, slice off the bottom half-inch of each spear, then stand the entire bunch up, cut-side down, in a glass or narrow pitcher filled with a few inches of water.

Otherwise, it's very hard to chew.

Because white asparagus tends to break easily, peeling these guys requires a little extra care.

For this elegant salad, conceived as a treat for Mom on Mother's Day, I teamed the white asparagus with an orange vinaigrette, toasted hazelnuts and aged goat cheese.

ASPARAGUS WITH ORANGE VINAIGRETTE, TOASTED HAZELNUTS AND AGED GOAT CHEESE

2 pounds fresh white asparagus, the bottom 1/2 inch discarded and the spears peeled from just below the tip down the length of the stalks

2 ounces crumbled aged goat cheese

In a large saucepan over medium-high, bring 3 inches of salted water to a boil.

Nutrition information per serving: 280 calories; 180 calories from fat (64 percent of total calories); 20 g fat (3.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 140 mg sodium; 19 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 11 g sugar; 8 g protein.