White Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce
Classic hollandaise made with clarified butter, egg yolks, and white wine reduction, served alongside tender white asparagus. Choose between traditional clarified butter method or simplified cold butter technique. Asparagus steams gently in salted water with sugar and butter until tender.
Ingredients
- 2 shallots, peeled and chopped
- ⅛ oz white wine
- 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- parsley stems
- peppercorns
- 18 tbsp butter, for clarifying or cold
- 4 egg yolks, fresh
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- cayenne pepper(optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt, for sauce
- 4 ½ lb white asparagus
- 13 cups water
- 2 tablespoon salt, for cooking asparagus
- 1 ½ tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon butter, for cooking asparagus
Instructions
- 1
Peel and chop shallots. Bring wine, vinegar, parsley stems, and peppercorns to a boil with shallots. Reduce liquid to about 4 tablespoons, strain through a sieve, and cool completely.
- 2
Clarify butter by heating in a pan until completely melted. Reduce heat to medium and cook about 8 minutes until milk solids separate and foam rises to surface. Skim foam with a spoon. Pour butter through a sieve into a measuring cup. Alternatively, skip clarification and cut cold butter into small pieces.
- 3
Whisk egg yolks with cooled reduction. Set bowl over barely simmering water bath, ensuring bowl does not touch water. Whisk with a balloon whisk or electric mixer until foamy.
- 4
Add clarified butter to egg mixture drop by drop at first, then in a thin stream, whisking constantly until sauce becomes creamy. If using cold butter method, add butter pieces gradually while whisking constantly until sauce reaches desired consistency.
- 5
Remove bowl from heat. Add lemon juice and whisk briefly. Season sauce with cayenne pepper and salt.
- 6
Peel asparagus. Bring water to a boil in a wide pan. Add salt, sugar, butter, and asparagus, then return to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit about 15 minutes.
- 7
Serve asparagus warm with hollandaise sauce.
Tips
Keep water bath barely simmering to prevent eggs from scrambling
Add clarified butter very slowly at start to emulsify properly
Hollandaise breaks easily if it gets too hot or if butter is added too quickly
Cold butter method is simpler but produces slightly different texture than traditional clarified version
Good to Know
Hollandaise best served immediately. Leftover sauce can be gently rewarmed over water bath. Cooked asparagus keeps refrigerated up to 2 days.
Reduction can be made several hours ahead and refrigerated. Clarify butter ahead if using that method.
Arrange warm asparagus on plate, drizzle or dollop hollandaise over spears. Serve immediately.
Common Mistakes
Add butter too quickly to avoid breaking the emulsion
Keep water bath temperature low to avoid scrambling eggs
Do not let bowl touch simmering water to prevent overheating
Whisk constantly to prevent curdling