Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

So it’s spring and I am cooking with asparagus again. I am posting this together with the white asparagus recipe in another post in celebration of a new season and a new crop of veggies. This is what’s nice about cooking a vegetable-centred cuisine, there is always something new and exciting. Asparagus is one of my favourite vegetables, green or white. I consider it a delicacy when used in season and as soon as the first stalks begin to show up in our local markets I start to think of ways, old and new, to serve them.

One classic that I go back to again and again is the hollandaise sauce. It’s a perfect match with asparagus. Hollandaise is made with butter, egg yolks and vinegar or lemon juice. You add the butter to the yolks and whisk over low heat until they thicken into a creamy but pourable consistency. Hollandaise may be tricky to make on top of the stove (eggs can curdle) but you can try this easy version using your blender instead.

On a separate note, we just returned from our three months European travels and are making the re-entry adjustment as can be expected. I have written about our adventures all along and loved sharing my experiences with you through these pages. I found that writing about the trip made me much more aware of my experience and made me pay attention to details that may have otherwise escaped me. I still have a lot to tell. I took cooking classes, foodie tours, visited markets and ate my way though formal and informal restaurants, tapas bars, cafes and  food stalls at the market. I haven’t written yet about Barcelona and Madrid and both were places I must go back to. I am looking forward to continue to report on what I found and learned and experiment in my own kitchen with some of the new foods, recipes and ideas I brought with me from the trip.

Thank you for travelling with me virtually through the blog over the last three months. I appreciate your comments, travel suggestions and behind the scene laughs (I got a few). I had fun travelling and just as much fun sharing the experience with you.

Stay tuned.

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Ingredients:

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1 bunch asparagus

Hollandaise sauce:

1 cup butter, melted

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt or as needed

A twist of pepper or a small dash of cayenne pepper

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Directions:

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Trim the bottom off the asparagus. you can peel the stalks half way up from the root end if you wish or leave them unpeeled.

Bring a pot of water to a boil (I often use a skillet large enough to hold the asparagus in one layer, or do it in two batches).

When the water is boiling add a pinch of salt and the asparagus and return to a comfortable boil.

Cook the asparagus until it is crisp tender (or to your liking).

Remove the asparagus and place in a bowl full of ice water to stop the cooking (you can reheat later by dropping the stalks back into boiling water for a moment).

Prepare the hollandaise:

Place egg yolks and vinegar in a blender and mix until frothy.

While blender is running  drizzle melted butter over the eggs and blend until the sauce is nice and creamy-thick.

Remove sauce to a bowl and mix with a whisk.

You can keep it warm in a bowl set over simmering water on top of the stove. Keep in mind that the yolks are  not cooked so don’t leave it sitting unrefrigerated for too long.

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To serve:

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arrange the asparagus in a serving platter or individual dishes.

Drizzle some of the sauce over and serve with additional hollandaise on the side.

You can serve this on it’s own and it is also nice at breakfast with a poached egg on top, drizzled with hollandaise like you would with eggs Benedict.

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