Orange-Dressed Asparagus

The great thing about the  "Orange-Dressed Asparagus" (page 355) is that it can be prepared and served either immediately (hot), or later (chilled). I chose to serve it chilled since we were in the middle of a heat wave when I decided to make this dish, and all cold food sounded good. To serve it cold, once the asparagus has been steamed, cold water is run over it to stop the cooking process, and the spears are put into the refrigerator until ready to eat, at which time you add the dressing. The dressing is a blend of sautéed shallots, orange zest, fresh orange juice (it just so happens that one medium sized orange provides the correct amount of both zest and juice), fresh lemon juice, and sugar. The dressing also calls for olive oil, but I just left this out altogether and didn't miss a thing. I'm quite an asparagus aficionado, and this preparation was particularly pleasing.