White Asparagus, Comte Cream

One of my favorite dishes in Paris recently, from Septime. I knew it from my first bite!  The star of the dish is the asparagus, so the other ingredients must play second fiddle.

white asparagus
comte cheese
single cream  or whole milk
maldon sea salt
ground black pepper
culatello
hazelnuts
sliced chives
home-made pickled mini white onions

1. pickle white onions days in advance, slice for this dish
2. melt cheese with a bit of cream, salt and pepper
3. steam asparagus, let cool slightly and slice into 1 1/2 inch pieces
4. roast some hazelnuts, break up a bit very roughly
5. to serve, arrange asparagus on a smaller plate, drizzle over a bit of cheese sauce (not too much), add a few hazelnuts, chives and a couple of sliced onions and some culatello on the side