Asparagus Pancakes with Hollandaise Sauce
German-style asparagus served with tender crêpes and silky hollandaise. Fresh asparagus is boiled until tender, then plated with pan-fried pancakes and a rich butter-egg sauce finished with white wine and vinegar. A classic springtime dish requiring careful timing to keep the hollandaise emulsified.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb asparagus, peeled
- 7 oz ham
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 salt, pinch
- 1 sparkling water, splash
- 11 tbsp butter
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoon dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- chives, optional garnish(optional)
Instructions
- 1
Mix flour, milk, eggs, salt, and sparkling water until a thin batter forms, adding more water as needed.
- 2
Heat two pans and grease as needed. Cook pancakes until golden, flip once, and transfer to a plate. Optionally keep warm in a 122°F convection oven.
- 3
Bring water to a boil, peel asparagus thoroughly, then add salt, a pinch of sugar, and white wine to the pot.
- 4
Boil asparagus until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- 5
For hollandaise, melt butter separately.
- 6
Whisk egg yolks with white wine and vinegar over a double boiler.
- 7
Once the mixture becomes creamy after 2 to 3 minutes, add melted butter drop by drop while whisking continuously.
- 8
Season with salt and pepper, optionally finish with chives.
- 9
Serve immediately to prevent the sauce from breaking.
Tips
Keep pancakes warm in a low oven to prevent them from cooling while finishing other components.
Add butter to hollandaise in tiny increments to maintain emulsion.
Have all ingredients prepared before whisking the hollandaise, as timing is critical.
Good to Know
Components do not store well together. Refrigerate asparagus and ham separately up to 2 days. Hollandaise breaks when cooled.
Prepare pancake batter up to 2 hours ahead. Cook and peel asparagus up to 4 hours ahead, reheat gently before serving. Make hollandaise only at plating time.
Plate warm pancakes, top with ham and asparagus, drizzle hollandaise over top. Serve immediately.
Common Mistakes
Fail to add butter in tiny droplets to hollandaise to avoid breaking the emulsion.
Cook asparagus beyond 12 minutes to avoid mushy texture.
Delay serving hollandaise to avoid the sauce curdling.