Virgin Caesar

Here's a recipe I created back in May but forgot about it. Sadly the hawthorn flowers are no longer in season, but you can substitute with raw almonds.
This is a fresh nutty salad with plenty of bite and peppery undertones, easy to prepare and wonderfully healthy.

1 stale baguette
500g asparagus
150g fresh peas
200g parmesan
40g hawthorn flowers
2 baby gem lettuce
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and cracked pepper for seasoning

Method:
Slice baguette into 5mm thick pieces and lay out over baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven set at 160oC for 30 minutes, once cooked leave croutons out to dry for 3 hours. Place a medium pot of water on to boil, snap the coarse bottoms of asparagus off and slice in half lengthways. Once water is boiling add the asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes till just tender, drain and cool under cold running water. Slice parmesan into thin wedges and separate the gem leaves and wash.
To make the salad you can either make 4 individual salads or one large platter. First lay down torn pieces of gem and evenly distribute the asparagus, followed by breaking croutons and parmesan over salad. Scatter the fresh pea's over salad, then garnish with hawthorn flowers. Lastly season with desired amount of salt and pepper then drizzle over a little extra olive oil and serve.