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| The peeling |
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| Making the Hollandaise |
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| Straight out of the steamer |
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| Who could resist? |
Spargel truly is vegetable royalty, for any number of reasons. First of all, unlike it’s tasty, green brothers and sisters, white asparagus is far more rare. It also has a short growing season, and requires more attention in the growing and the cooking.
I could go on and on about asparagus as a member of the lily family. White asparagus ‘mounded’ with dirt to prevent sunlight from forming chlorophyll in the plant, preventing them from turning them green, a practice dating to the 1600s, etc.
Time to forego the history and get to the cooking and eating. For the cooking, I left it to the sensational cook I mentioned with almost worshipful reverence in my last post. She makes the difficult look easy and the easy look effortless, all without a strand of her locks out of place, and nary a wrinkle in her tasteful attire. Oh, be still my heart and listen to my stomach.
White asparagus requires two things that green asparagus does not, cutting and peeling. The cutting is a simple matter of slicing about a half inch off the bottom of the stalk end. After that, use a vegetable peeler to remove the tough, outer stalk. (see photo). If you do not remove all of the outer stalk, revealing the soft core, you not only get un-chewable cattle feed, but also a bitter taste that goes down well only if you’re starving or drunk. But, remove that ‘husk’ and you have a delicate delight for the taste buds.
One additional hint: If you’re not going to cook the asparagus right away, before peeling, wrap it in a damp tea towel and place the bundle in the refrig.
Cooking the Asparagus
About a pound of white asparagus (spargel) per person
An asparagus pot – don’t have one? Steam the stalks lying down.
Put the asparagus in the pot; add enough water to cover about half way up the stalks.
Add a teaspoon of salt and a half-teaspoon of sugar.
Boil for about 12-15 minutes, or until the stalks are tender, but not mushy.
Remove from the cooking water and place on a plate.
While the asparagus is cooking, make the Hollandaise Sauce.
Hollandaise Sauce
1 stick of butter, melted
3 egg yolks
3 Tablespoons dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon of salt (this will give a slightly salty taste, but will stand up better to the almost non-salted asparagus)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Off heat, whisk the egg yolks in the top of a double boiler, or in a stainless bowl that you will place over a pot of boiling water. Add the wine, salt, and sugar, and continue to whisk. Place the mixture over boiling water and continue to whisk. If you stop whisking, even for seconds, you’ll end up with scrambled eggs. As the mixture cooks, it will thicken. When it’s thick enough to coat a spoon very well, it’s done. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the melted butter, a little at a time. Add the fresh lemon juice and more salt, if needed. Whisk again and pour the Hollandaise Sauce in a gravy boat for serving.
Serving suggestions:
Potatoes- peeled and boiled in salted water. Flecked with finely chopped parsley.
Several varieties of ham, all thinly sliced.
Melted butter, as an additional topping for the asparagus.
A light, but dry white wine.
Dessert
Simple. Elegant. Colorful.
Three layers: sweetened yogurt on the bottom, a purée of fresh strawberries with a touch of sugar for the second, whipped cream, mixed with a bit of yogurt on top. Sprinkle the top layer with nuts and seeds.
As an ardent cook myself, I find something very special in having someone cook for me. Maybe it’s because I realize the planning, time, and effort it takes. It’s such a courtesy. Or, maybe it just because I’m a man and besides wine, women, and naps, eating is what I like best.
