Asparagus Champagne

What would you imagine if I suggested making a mimosa for brunch? If you're like me, you're thinking of sparkling wine and orange juice. That's why I was a bit taken aback when I found this in Mary Eckley's The New McCall's Cook Book (1973):

Much to my relief, it is not the asparagus and Champagne smoothie that I imagined. It's just a nice spring recipe: asparagus with a bit of butter and lemon, topped with hard-cooked egg.

So what makes this "mimosa"? And why the extra-fiddly instructions to chop egg white and yolk separately before sprinkling them on separately? They're all getting sprinkled in the same pile.

After a little research, I found my answers. "Mimosa" is sometimes used to refer to recipes that use hard-cooked eggs. (I had never heard of deviled eggs referred to as "eggs mimosa" before, but Wikipedia says it's a thing.)

So what do eggs and mimosa cocktails have in common? They're both bright orange/yellow, like the flowers after which they are named. Now the tedious instructions make sense too-- the egg yolks on top make the recipe extra bright.

When I saw the title I was ready to make fun of a scary recipe, but I learned something instead. This would be a fine dish to add to your brunch buffet. If I were you, though, I might call it "Sunshine Asparagus."