Recipe: White asparagus from the Loire Valley, mousse with fresh goat cheese from Sainte-Maure

White asparagus from the Loire Valley is spring's star ingredient, from April through June. It grows underground, sheltered from light, which gives it that pale colour and sweeter taste than green varieties. It's a seasonal vegetable that won't wait: you need to cook it fresh, as soon as it's picked. This is a Sunday starter, the kind you make when you have time and want to show you know your way around a kitchen. Soft-boiled eggs on the side are straight out of 1950s Paris bistros, when fine restaurants served this as a warm appetizer. The fresh goat cheese mousse replaces the traditional béarnaise or mousseline, which keeps things lighter and plays on the cheese's acidity. Keep the side simple: grilled bread or soldiers for dunking into the mousse. That's all you need. For wine, reach for a dry Loire white: Sancerre, dry Vouvray, or a white Chinon if you can find it. The wine's acidity lifts the asparagus's sweetness, and fresh goat cheese pairs naturally with it. Skip heavy, buttery wines, that would feel too rich with the cream. Out of season, frozen asparagus works well. Local producers offer it plain, and it's honest cooking. It lets you make this dish in October or November if the mood strikes.