I love how delicate and silky white asparagus can be when cooked correctly...but never having made it before (because it costs an arm and a leg and your first born child in North America) I did some research on various French sites and came up with the below cooking instructions.
Enjoy this amazing vegetable while it lasts - its availability is so very fleeting!
What You'll Need:
- Heavy-bottomed deep pan
- Carrot peeler
- Fresh white asparagus
- 1 lemon
- Dash of salt
- Going from base to tip, peel off all the harder outer bits of the skin
- Gently hold the stalk in each hand and push up lightly with your thumbs, where the stalk naturally snaps indicates the portion of the stalk that is the best to eat (from tip downwards). Though this may seem like a waste of asparagus, the bit that has snapped off will taste bitter - you can always save these bits and use them in asparagus soup!
- Add water to your pan and let boil
- Squeeze the juice of your lemon into the water and sprinkle in your dash of salt
- Wrap your asparagus bundles up with twine - depending on their length, you may want to tie them twice - once at the bottom and once near their tops
- Place your asparagus bundles into the boiling water and let boil for 30 minutes
- Yes - this amount of time may seem crazy as a lot of recipes say boil for just five minutes - but, trust me, the French research says 30 minutes
- Once boiled, they will be extremely hot and soft - remove them very carefully and let drain
- Serve immediately with some form of fat - the French often use Hollandaise sauce with lemon, or drizzles of olive oil and salted butter with a twist of fresh pepper. I choose Hollandaise sauce every time!
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