It's asparagus season again! And what tastes best with asparagus? With mayonnaise or hollandaise sauce, preferably homemade, of course!
We'll show you how quick and easy it is in three short videos, and of course we have everything you need, conveniently available.
We also include a clever tip for processing the large amount of protein that is produced when making these sauces – the perfect all-round inspiration for a spring-like asparagus menu with a sweet finale.
Have fun watching, cooking and of course feasting… Bon appétit!
I. Mayonnaise maison – perfect for a lovely asparagus starter:
Ingredients for the mayonnaise:
Optionally some lemon zest and capers for garnishing
And this is how it's done:
Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and set the egg whites aside. Add a little mustard, a small splash of white vinegar, and a pinch of salt to the egg yolks. Mix with a hand mixer, immersion blender, or whisk. Continue stirring continuously, then slowly add olive oil until the mayonnaise reaches the desired consistency. Season to taste with a little lemon zest. Add to the briefly blanched asparagus, garnish with capers, and enjoy!
II. Hollandaise sauce – the classic asparagus dish
Ingredients for Hollandaise Sauce:
Optional: orange zest, blood orange juice, tarragon
And here's how it works:
Melt the butter. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and set the egg whites aside. Beat the egg yolks and gradually add the melted butter. Continue whisking until the sauce has a nice, creamy consistency. Season to taste with salt and a little orange zest, and a dash of Vinho Verde, if desired.
For a Béarnaise sauce, simply add some chopped tarragon. It tastes wonderful with veal!
For a "sauce maltaise" add some freshly squeezed (blood) orange juice.
Serve the briefly blanched asparagus with air-dried ham and the sauce. Bon appétit!
III. Floating Island on a mirror of berries – white finale
Île flottante (French for floating island) is a classic French dessert made with lots of egg whites and a little sugar, formed into dumplings, cooked, and then served on a bed of sauce. Traditionally, île flottante is served over vanilla sauce, but we fancied something fruity, so we made a fruit coulis with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, flavored with ratafia. If you don't want to make it yourself or don't have any fresh berries on hand, we also have a delicious ready-made fruit coulis! Serve with a caramel sauce and our favorite biscuits, and enjoy!
Ingredients for the floating island:
- Protein,
- Sugar,
- Fruits of your choice and ratafia or ready-made fruit coulis ,
- Salted caramel crackers
And here's how it works:
Sweeten the egg whites with sugar and beat until stiff. Bring water to a boil. Using two spoons, form the egg whites into dumplings and place them in the boiling water. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Drain on kitchen paper.
Meanwhile, cook the berries and season with ratafia. Ladle the sauce onto a plate, place a still-warm dumpling on top, garnish with a caramelized salt glaze, and enjoy!
By the way, you should use the same wine for cooking that you drink. And since Vinho Verde from Portugal goes particularly well with asparagus, we drank João Cabral Almeida's wonderful Camaleão , made from 70% Loureiro and 30% Alvarinho, while cooking and also added it to our hollandaise sauce.
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Here's the full 3:27-minute video, including some funny outtakes... Enjoy!
