About this Recipe

By: Rachel

Some matches just seem to be made in heaven. Apples and cinnamon, burgers and fries, tomatoes and mozzarella… and asparagus and Hollandaise.

In classic French culinary fashion, the three ingredients in this simple sauce are far more than the sum of its parts. Emulsified butter and egg yolks with the brightness of fresh lemon combine to create a rich, unctuous sauce that pairs perfectly with the slightly earthy bitterness of fresh asparagus.

As is true with all simple dishes, the quality of your ingredients count for a lot. Select a high-quality, unsalted butter for your sauce (the very best butters have at least 82% butterfat, and are made from the milk of cows that graze on fresh grass). If available, choose farm-fresh eggs, produced from pastured ducks or chickens. The clover, grass, and insects these chickens eat results in richer, darker, more flavorful yolks. The best eggs have yolks that are a deep, dark orange hue, rather than pale yellow.

Asparagus with Hollandaise sauce is one of my very favorite combinations. I have been known to pile a plate high with steamed asparagus and to fill a mug with warm Hollandaise sauce, dipping the asparagus into the sauce like French fries into ketchup. (My theory of incredibly rich sauces is as follows: as long as you’re eating it with vegetables, it doesn’t matter how much butter or cream they contain. The vegetables cancel out any fats). Try this dish in the spring or early summer, when asparagus is at its freshest.

Warm Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce and a Poached Egg

If you think you can’t make Hollandaise sauce, think again.

Print Recipe

Ready In 20

Meal Type Side Dish

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 pound (about ½ kilo) fresh asparagus, tough ends discarded
4 fresh duck or chicken eggs
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons (30g) freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
8 tablespoons (110g) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Optional: Fresh chives, toasted challah, lox, prosciutto

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Blanch the asparagus by adding a little water (about a half-cup) to a skillet with the asparagus and cover. Let cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on thickness, until the asparagus is bright green but still crisp.
Drain, and immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside.

Step 2

Next, poach the eggs:
Boil water in a small saucepan. Crack the eggs, two at a time, into a small ramekin, and set next to your stove. Once the water is boiling, stir the water rapidly in one direction using a wooden spoon, creating a “tornado” effect.
Slide the eggs, two at a time, gently into the water, and immediately turn the heat down so the water simmers. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon after 2-3 minutes. A perfectly-poached egg has a firm white and a runny yolk, and will jiggle slightly when prodded.

Step 3

Make the Hollandaise sauce:
Heat a few inches of water in a saucepan until simmering (you will use this to create a double-boiler).
In a heavy, shatterproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, water, and lemon until light in color. Now set the cold, cubed butter next to your saucepan.
Set the bowl over the simmering water (ensure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water) and continue whisking until the yolks have thickened just slightly, about 2 minutes.
Add the butter a few cubes at a time and whisk continuously, allowing the butter to melt before adding the next batch of cubes.
Once you have added all the butter, the sauce should be thickened and ready to serve. Remove from heat.

Step 4

To serve, divide the asparagus amongst four serving dishes and top each with a poached egg. Spoon Hollandaise sauce over each serving and garnish with chives if desired.
To make this dish a little more substantial, serve the asparagus over toasted challah and add some lox or prosciutto before topping with the egg and Hollandaise sauce.

Beverage Pairing

By: Olivia

This dish is rich from the butter in the Hollandaise and the eggs in the sauce and poached on top. Your wine pairing can either play into the vegetal taste introduced by the asparagus or enhance the richness of the butter and yolks. If you’d like to bring out the greenness of the dish, a Sauvignon Blanc is the best pair. Its acidity will cut through the richness and complement the asparagus. If you want to amplify the creaminess, a lightly oaked Chardonnay will still bring in the right acidity to cut through the creaminess but will stand up to the buttery richness.