Buttery British Asparagus
Blog Entry: Wednesday 15 Apr 2009
Rising young chef, Matt, trained at Gordon Ramsey’s London restaurant and now he’s sharing his culinary expertise with the Friends of Butter. This week’s offering from Matt is Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce.
‘I want to share this classic dish with you as Hollandaise Sauce is all about real butter and it’s truly delicious with asparagus,’ says Matt. ‘The asparagus season is normally quite short lived so make the most of it with this lovely recipe.’
Ingredients:
110ml red wine vinegar
2 shallots, finely chopped
5g of cracked black peppercorns
25g butter
4 egg yolks
Salt and pepper
Handful of tarragon leaves
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
2. Pour a little olive oil onto a baking tray and toss the asparagus in the oil. Season with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 10-12 minutes until perfectly golden and al dente.
3. In a small pot, combine the red wine vinegar, shallots, cracked pepper and tarragon leaves. Bring to the boil and reduce until the vinegar has almost evaporated.
4. Place butter in a small pan over a low heat. As the butter melts, a foam will rise at the top – skim it off and discard. Remove from heat and set aside so that the milk solids settle at the bottom of the pan.
5. Place the egg yolks in a bain-marie. Add the tarragon red wine reduction. Whisk the eggs constantly; pulling the bowl away from heat if the eggs start to harden. Once the eggs become foamy and start to thicken SLOWLY incorporate the butter. Keep whisking until the butter is incorporated. Finally season with salt and pepper until you reach desired taste.
6. To serve, place asparagus neatly on a plate and pour over the hollandaise sauce. Enjoy with some crusty bread and a glass of white wine.
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