Asparagus with Hollandaise

Inspired by our class at Kulinarisk Akademi, and the fact that it is asparagus season (!), we decided to make Asparagus with Hollandaise sauce. Since we don't have a sous-vide cooker, even though we would like one, we had to do it the traditional way. However, we will explain both methods.

Ingredients
(serves 4 people)

4 white asparagus
4 green asparagus
250 g Røros butter
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
A squeeze of lemon juice
A pinch of Maldon salt
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

Here's how you break it (the asparagus) down

Start by peeling the asparagus, at least the lower part. Snap off the lower part of each asparagus. If you hold it with both hands and start bending, it will snap where it naturally should.

Bring water to boil in a pot. Cook the green asparagus for 2 minutes, and the white asparagus for 4 minutes. Transfer them directly to ice water after the minute marks, to stop the cooking process.

Hollandaise sauce the traditional way:

Melt the butter in one pot*, and bring water to boil in another pot. Set the butter aside, and turn of the heat from the pot with boiling water. Whisk the egg yolks until creamy in a heat proof glass bowl. Place the bowl over the warm water. Slowly start adding melted butter while you whisk heavily. One drop at a time to begin with, and a steady stream once it starts getting the right consistency. Taste with a squeeze of lemon, the balsamic vinegar and Maldon salt. Add a few drops of water if the consistency is too thick still.

* yes, we didn't make clarified butter. From our experience it is not needed, as the milk proteins actually help the emulsion, and we think the sauce gets shiny enough

Hollandaise sauce with sous-vide and espuma:

Place all ingredients in a bag, and vacuum it. Leave for 30 minutes at 75 degrees C in your sous-vide. Fill the espuma bottle with the mix and insert 1 gas filled cylinder. Shake it and leave in the sous-vide bath again until you need it.

This is how it looks when you suck at plating for a moment

Roast the pumpkin seeds in the oven at 150 degrees for 15 minutes. Grill the white and green asparagus in a grill pan for 2 minutes on each side. Plate the dish by pouring the Hollandaise sauce in a perfect circle (like the top picture shows, not the lower one), and place the asparagus on top. Sprinkle roasted pumpkin seeds over.

Boizel Blanc de Noirs

On the 17th of May you'll be drinking Champagne with this starter of course! We tried Boizel Blanc de Noirs, a champagne made only with Pinot Noir grapes. That means that it is pure white juice from red grapes. It has a silky texture, smells like pears and tastes very fruity and fresh. A good aperitif, but it can easily be paired with fish and other seafood as well.