Asparagus and Endive Salad With Comté Cream

Verdant asparagus and crisp endive leaves combine with toasted hazelnuts and thin shavings of shallots to create a simple yet elegant salad that celebrates the season. But the true star of the show—a creamy spread made from Comté, olive oil, and water blitzed in a blender—is what sets this salad apart. Comté is an unpasteurized cow’s milk cheese hailing from the Franche-Comté region of France. Made in the Jura Mountains, the firm Alpine cheese is similar to nutty Swiss Gruyère but sweeter and more mellow. In this recipe the cheese is transformed into a light and airy spread that provides a savory foundation for crisp veggies, cloaking them in a cheesy blanket. The cheese spread, while delightful paired with this salad, can be used in countless ways: served with veggie sticks, spread under any other salad, or paired with crackers.