Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
  1              pound  pencil thin asparagus
  2        tablespoons  unsalted butter
  1                cup  heavy cream
  1              pound  fresh or dried pappardelle
                        or
  1              pound  fresh or dried fettuccine
  2        tablespoons  extra virgin olive oil
  1                     lemon -- juice & zest
                        ground black pepper
                        grated parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Cutting on the diagonal, trim the tough ends of the asparagus and slice stalks into 3 or 4 even pieces. 2. In a nonreactive kettle of lightly salted water, cook for 2 minutes or until just crisp. Remove asparagus from the kettle, reserving cooking water. 3. Plunge asparagus into cold water for a few seconds and then drain. 4. In a saucepan over medium heat melt the butter, add the cream and allow to cook at a low simmer. Cook the pasta in the kettle of salted boiling water until al dente and drain well. 5. While the pasta is boiling, heat th eoil in a large skillet and add the asparagus. Add the hot cream mixture and fold in the lemon juice. Season with pepper. 6. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss well. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Nutritional Information:

319 Calories (kcal); 35g Total Fat; (94% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 97mg Cholesterol; 24mg Sodium