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Members' Recipes

Recipes for Fresh Aparagus

Asparagus is one of the delights from the vegetable garden that just leaves shop bought 'fresh', or even worse, tinned asparagus for dead. Why? Because as soon as the spears are cut in the vegetable garden, they start to lose their sugars as they are converted back into starches. Ideally, they should be cooked within hours, but with a minimum of 24-48 hrs on average allowing for picking, packing and shipping to a store, this just isn't possible.

Fresh Aparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

Submitted by Ruth from Caulfield

NOTES: This recipe includes the ingredients and method to make your own Hollandaise sauce. You can of course, use a pre made sauce from the supermarket, but freshly made is FAR superior and a great use for any eggs you have, especially if you have your own chickens. You can use an electric whisk/mixer if the hand whish proves too much for you.

You'll need:

Freshly cut Asparagus - vary the quantity to suit the number of people

3 eggs yolks @ room temperature

2 tbs water

175g unsalted butter @ room temperature (NOT margarine)

2tbs White vinegar

Method:

Select a saucepan that you can sit a metallic or ceramic bowl on top of, without the bottom of the bowl touching the water in the saucepan when it is a quarter full. If possible, the same saucepan should be able to be used to steam the Asparagus after the sauce is prepared.
keep the mixing bowl aside and with the saucepan a quarter full, bring the water to the boil, then lower the temperature so that it is barely simmering.

Meanwhile, in the bowl, whisk the egg whites and 2 tbs of water together with a wire wisk. Cube the butter. IMPORTANT: Do not put the mixing bowl over the saucepan if the water is too hot as this will cook the egg too quickly and it'll curdle.
Place the bowl over the saucepan and constantly whisk the egg mix until it doubles in volume and leaves a ribbon trail off the whisk when it is lifted out. This should take 3 minutes or so.
Slowly add some of the butter, a cube or two at a time, whisking constantly as the butter melts and is incorporated into the sauce. Continue this untill all the butter has been added. It is important that only a small amount is added at a time to allow it to emulsify, so don't be tempted to add more! It should take about 10 mins to add all the butter. Remove from the heat when all is added and the consistency is like that of lightly whipped cream.
Turn up the heat and add the asparagus to steam, or if you have to, boil gently for about 3-5 mins at the most.
Meanwhile, whisk in the vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, then serve immediately drizzled over each serving of asparagus.

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