A term describing a dish featuring asparagus, named after the French town that is world renowned for its asparagus.

In a small saucepan heat the butter until frothy. Stir in the flour and cook slowly, stirring constantly, for a minute. Add the milk and broth, whisking vigorously and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese, remove the sauce from the heat and whisk it just until the cheese has melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Arrange the asparagus in the bottom of a baking dish. Top with sliced eggs and spoon the sauce over the top. Top with breadcrumbs mixed with cheese and drizzle melted butter over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbly.

About Asparagus:
This vegetable is virtually a world wide favorite. Its history is long, though sporadically recorded. Its development from a wild vegetable into the luxury item it is today is unknown; what is known is that by the 2nd century BC the asparagus was already a well-established and cultivated plant. The ancient Greeks were the first to use the asparagus as a vegetable and to give it a name. The asparagus of the ancient Greeks is the same as the ones that still grow wild on the Mediterranean coast. Later on, the Romans began cultivating the asparagus in their gardens, taking great pride in its thick white stems.
Despite these attempts, the plant was never seriously cultivated until the 16th and l7th centuries. Charles Lamb said of the asparagus "it still seems to inspire gentle thoughts"; this has not always been so, for there exists two schools of thought concerning the merits of the white and green asparagus, which have inspired some heated debate. In France, the home and champion of the famous white asparagus of Argenteuil, the plant is brought to maturity underground, where it is kept from becoming green. The white asparagus reigns supreme: French experts say that it is more tender and delicate than the green. On the other hand, however, supporters of the green asparagus ask how can anyone prefer white asparagus to the green, which has gained its delicate flavors from the sun.
It was not until the early 17th century that the Asparagus arrived in England. Pepys, among others, testified their love for this delicious vegetable. In 1815, asparagus tongs were invented. Sperage, sparage, sparagras were among the earliest forms of the vegetable known today as asparagus. At one point, it was even called sparrowgrass. As one writer recorded in 1791, the correct word asparagus had an air of stiffness and pedantry.
Regardless of its name or color, all asparagus must be washed carefully for much of it grows in sandy soil and the tips are often filled with grit. The stalks can be washed in warm water and the tips gently brushed with a soft brush. If the stalks are large, they should be thinly peeled. This can be done with a peeling knife used for potatoes. Any tough ends should be snapped off, as they can be stored for later use in soups.
To cook asparagus, special asparagus saucepans can be purchased that are deep and narrow. However, a double boiler can also be used: Gently tie the asparagus into a bundle. Bring the water in the lower portion of the double boiler to the boil, add salt, and place the asparagus in it, upright. Cover the pan with the top half of the boiler upside down, so that it covers the stems. In this way, the stalks of the asparagus will boil while the tips merely steam.

About Argenteuil:

Argenteuil is a city in northern France, in Val d'Oise Department, on the Seine River, near Paris. It is a major industrial centre; manufactures include aerospace and electrical equipment, rubber goods, and pharmaceuticals.