The British asparagus season is upon us, and to celebrate, FOUR has gathered a selection of asparagus recipes from chefs including Alain Ducasse,Dan Barber,Michel Roux JrandTom Aikens.
A simple yet luxurious recipe – with the addition of double cream and sevruga caviar – taken fromMichel Roux Jr’s cookbook Le Gavroche.
Serves 6
Ingredients
30 small asparagus tips
4 slices of smoked salmon
2 tablespoons double cream
2 tablespoons horseradish relish
4 eggs
120g sevruga caviar
Olive oil
12 round brioche bread toasts (1cm thick, 3-5cm wide)
Method
Peel the asparagus and trim to 4cm lengths. Cook in boiling salted water until just tender (5-7 minutes), then immediately refresh in ice-cold water and drain. Cut the smoked salmon into 18 rounds, using a cutter the same diameter as the brioche.
Whip the cream and add the horseradish relish. Cook the eggs in boiling water for 3 ½ minutes, hold under cold running water for 10 second and then peel while still hot.
Put the eggs into a warm dish and break them up with a fork (the yolks should be runny and the whites solid).
Season with a little pepper and gently fold in the caviar.
Reheat the asparagus in boiled salted water, drain and roll in a little olive oil to make them glossy.
To assemble, put a small dollop of horseradish cream in the centre of each plate, then a smoked salmon round, more horseradish and then the lightly toasted brioche slice. Repeat the layers to finish with two brioches and three smoked salmon rounds on each plate. Arrange the asparagus on top and spoon the egg and caviar mixture around.
This recipe is byTristin Farmer – Head Chef atGordon Ramsay’s Michelin-starred concept,Mazein London. A light dish combining asparagus, toasted seeds and whipped goats cheese – great as a starter or for a main dish, when the warmer summer evenings call for smaller bites.
Serves 4
Ingredients
20 Medium asparagus spears
500g Pitted black olives
500g Goat’s cheese
100mls Double cream
50g Pine nuts
50g Sunflower seeds
50g Pumpkin seeds
50g Nibbed almonds
1 Grapefruit
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method
Asparagus
Take the asparagus and snap off the bottom (1/3), wash and lightly peel from the tip down.
In a pan of boiling salted water, cook the asparagus until tender (this should take 1-2 minutes).
Refresh cooked asparagus in ice water, once chilled store in the fridge until needed.
Olive puree
Wash the olives under warm water to remove excess oil.
Blanch the olives in boiling water for 1 minute.
Blend the olives in a liquidizer or blender until smooth, add a little olive oil if the puree is too thick.
Pass through a fine sieve, chill and store in fridge.
Seeds and nuts
Pre heat the oven to 150c
Toast seeds and nuts individually until light golden brown.
Peel and segment grapefruit, cut each segment into small dice.
Mix the warm seed mix with the grapefruit, olive oil and salt. (Add half the grapefruit to taste, add more if required.)
Whipped goat’s cheese
Break up the goat’s cheese into small pieces.
In a bowl, slowly add the cream to the goat’s cheese, beat until smooth.
Add salt and pepper to taste
A recipe taken from chef Ben Tish, Sanja Morris and Simon Mullins’ cookbook The Salt Yard Cookbook: Food from Spain and Italy. Credit goes to chef Jamie Thickett, Head Chef at Salt Yard Group’sOpera Tavern restaurant.
Serves 4 as a main or6 – 8 as a tapas
Ingredients
250g ricotta
2 egg yolks
20g Parmesan, grated
110g Tipo ‘00’ pasta flour
Extra flour for dusting
Sea salt and black pepper
1 large bunch basil, stalk included
50g pine nuts, lightly toasted
25g Parmesan
30g wild garlic or 1 clove garlic,peeled
150ml extra virgin olive oil
16 spears asparagus, trimmed
300g purple sprouting broccoli or
Tender stem, trimmed
100g baby Swiss chard or young
Spinach, trimmed
50g broad beans, fresh or frozen
Method
To make the pesto, put the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan and wild garlic (or garlic clove) in a blender. Put the lid on and, gradually adding the olive oil, blend to a puree. Season well.
To make the gnocchi, strain the ricotta for a few minutes in a sieve or through a cloth to remove any excess liquid. Place the ricotta in a bowl and mix in the eggs and Parmesan. Then gradually add the flour, mixing as you go, and season. Place the gnocchi dough on top of a floured work surface. Divide into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a long sausage with the diameter of a 2-pound coin. Cut each length into bite-sized pieces and place on a chopping board or tray so they can easily be tipped into a pan. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and then slide the gnocchi into the bubbling water. They’re cooked when they rise to the surface. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place in a dish. Season and keep warm.
Cook the vegetables in a large pan of boiling salted water. Firstly, cook the broccoli for 3 minutes or so until al dente, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Next add the beans, chard or spinach along with the asparagus and cook for a further 2 – 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are all just cooked through. Drain well in a colander and press lightly to release any excess moisture. Season well and toss together with the reserved broccoli. Ladle out the gnocchi onto serving dishes, top with the vegetables and spoon over the pesto. Serve.
Garnacha Blanca from Spain is a great white variety that will pair harmoniously.
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup salt
1 qt white wine vinegar
1 qt water
5 garlic cloves
8 fresh dill sprigs
1 Tbsp black pepper corns
2 Bunch asparagus
Method
In a medium pot, combinethe sugar, salt, vinegar, water, peppercorns and garlic.Bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, trim the woodyends off the asparagus.Rinseasparagus well under cold water and place in a large non-reative containeralong with the sprigs of dill.
Pour hot pickle brine overthe aspragus and allow to stand uncovered until the brine has cooleddown.Cover and place in the refrigerator.
Allow to pickle forat least 1 week before eating.Pickleswill last in the fridge for up to 6 months.
Ingredients
1kg of asparagus, peeled and cut into 6-8 cm lengths
140g of Parma ham
1 handful of chopped chervil
1 pinch of chopped chives
100g of spring onions, chopped
350g of mascarpone
2 eggs
4 egg yolks
0.5 tsp ofsalt
1 pinch ofblack pepper
400g of plain flour, plus extra for dusting
200g of butter, cold and diced, plus extra for greasing
1 pinch ofsalt
1 egg
1 egg yolk, for brushing the pastry
Ice cold water
Equipment
23cm loose-bottomed tart tin
Food mixer
Baking beans
Pastry brush
Method
Place the flour into a bowl with the salt and the diced butter. Transfer into a food mixer set to a low setting and mix until like fine breadcrumbs – about 1 minute. Alternatively, you could rub the mixture between your thumb and forefinger until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the egg and then add the iced water, little by little, until the dough comes together (it should not be too dry, otherwise it will just crumble when you roll it out). Place the dough in cling film and transfer to the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
When the dough is ready to roll out, preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4, and grease and flour your quiche tin. Roll out the pastry to a 0.5cm thickness and lay this into the tin. Line the pastry with a sheet of foil and fill with baking beans.
Blind bake the pastry with the baking beans in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the pastry achieves a light golden colour. Remove the baking beans and foil, and brush the base of the tart case with egg yolk. Bake for a further 5 minutes, then remove from the oven. Allow the pastry to cool while you make the filling.
Reduce the oven temperature to 170C/gas mark 3.
Blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water for 3 minutes and then refresh in iced water for two minutes. Drain and dry well.
Mix the chervil, chives, mascarpone, spring onion, eggs, egg yolks, salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside.
Lay the asparagus spears in the cooled pastry tart, pointing outwards in a circular pattern, then lay the ham in between the asparagus. Pour on the chervil and mascarpone mix.
Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until it is light brown and firm to touch in the centre. Allow to cool to room temperature, slice and then serve.
Serves 4
Ingredients
4–6 thick or 8–10 medium very fresh asparagus spears
1 young head of fennel, trimmed, a few feathery tops reserved
a handful of small salad leaves, such as buckler leaf sorrel, land cress etc.
salt and freshly ground black pepper
70–80g good-quality aged Caerphilly cheese, such as Gorwydd
For the dressing
grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
4–5 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil
Method
Cut off the woody ends of the asparagus and peel the lower end of the stalks. Using a mandolin or very sharp knife, cut the asparagus on the diagonal into very fine slices.
Halve the fennel and, again, using a mandolin or very sharp knife, slice the fennel as thinly as possible and place in a bowl with the asparagus.
Shake the ingredients for the dressing together in a screw-topped jar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the leaves and feathery fennel tops to the asparagus and fennel and season lightly. Toss with the dressing and arrange on plates. Shave the cheese with a small, sharp knife or a vegetable peeler and scatter over the salad.
Serves 4
Ingredients
18 White asparagus (size +26)
8 Kumquats
50 g Sugar
50 g Water
2 Kumquats
Icing sugar
1 Orange
1 Grapefruit
Make segments out of the fruits, dice them.
Orange syrup
30cl Fresh orange juice (300g)
Olive oil
3 Egg yolks
1 Dry orange skin
150g Butter
5cl Water
Method
Kumquats confits
Make a syrup with the sugar and the water.
Cut the kumquats in half and take off all the seeds, add them to the syrup and bring them to boil.
Remove from heat and leave to cold down on the side. Give them some colour in a pan for the service.
Kumquats crisps
Slice the kumquats finely on the slicer.
Remove the seeds and put on a silpat dusted with icing sugar.
Dry in a hot cabinet at 70C for around 3 hours, until they get crispy
Citrus
Put the juice in the pan, boil and reduce it down, skim it constantly.
When reduced to syrup, pass and chill it.
Add some olive oil.
Sabayon
Put the egg yolks and the water in a pan. Add some salt and slowly cook skimming with a whip until it gets a ribbon texture. Mix the orange skin into powder. Add 1/3 to the sabayon. Add 1 table spoon of orange syrup. Peel the asparagus and boil 16 of them in salted water. Cook until they are still a little crunchy. Fry them 2 minutes in a pan with butter to get a nice colour. Finely slice the 2 remaining asparagus into 0.5mm thick slices. Add some olive oil, salt and pepper.
Dressing
In a plate, draw a large comma of sabayon. Add the diced citrus all around the plate. Pour some orange syrup. Place 4 asparagus on the sabayon. Add some slices of raw asparagus. Add 4 halves of kumquat confits and 4 kumquat crisps.
Ingredients
Asparagus
4 asparagus
2 tbsp of olive oil
2g of butter
6 g of rock salt
300g of boiling water
Asparagus dressing
shavings from asparagus
100g cider vinegar
30g of honey
5 g of brown sugar
20g of olive oil
2 g of fresh dill
5 g of shallots
10g of ice water
2 soft quail eggs
Black ground peppers
Salt
Powder
10g of parmesan
10g of mint oill
Maltodextrin
Lemon Dressing
1 garlic clove crushed
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tbsp of home made
20ml of grape seed oil
2g of lemon zests
Method
Toasted Walnuts
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange walnuts on a sheet, in a single layer. Bake for 6 – 8 min, checkingfrequently.
Asparagus
Shave the asparagus gently, keeping them uniform and saving the shavings.
Boil the water in a pan. Add butter and olive oil in the same pan. Once the water has boiled, drop the asparagus into the pan and cook for 2 min. Once cooked for 2 minutes, remove from the pan and add to a pan of ice water for 2 minutes.
Asparagus dressing
Using a Thermomix, add all the ingredients and choose the temperature 60 degrees. Add 4 mint leaves. Once mixed, put in a dressing bottle.
Powder
Manually whisk the mint oil, parmesan and Maltodextrin. Place the mix in a blender and blend for a few seconds. Stop the blender and shake it. Blend again, shake and continue repeating this process until you obtain a fluffy consistency.
Lemon Dressing
Add all ingredients blend together. If it’s not runny enough, just add a drop of cold water.
This recipe is bySalvatore Calabreseof Sal’s at Playboy Club London. Salvatore has been named one of the world’s best mixologist – and rightly so when he makes the usually savoury asparagus fit so well into a semi-sweet summertime cocktail.
Ingredients
1 fresh asparagus
50ml Bacardi
20ml Pear Puree
25ml Fresh Lime Juice
20ml Falernum
1 barspoon of Honey
Method
Shake and double strainin a coupette.