Three-way asparagus
As asparagus season is in full swing here in Lyon — and across much of Europe, really — here’s a post for you to save, with recipes to enjoy. Don’t forget to serve with some fresh bread and a nice wine.
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Prepare the asparagus. Snap off the woody ends (they’ll break naturally where they should). Bring a large pan (I use a frying pan, as it can hold longer asparagus than a kettle) of well-salted water to the boil. Add the asparagus and blanch for 1 minute for thin spears and 2–3 minutes (max) for thicker ones. Drain immediately and transfer to ice-cold water (or very cold water, refreshed once). This stops the cooking and keeps them bright and crisp. Set aside and drain (I use a towel for that).
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Brown butter asparagus.
Melt butter over a medium-high heat. Let it bubble, then turn golden and smell nutty (5–8 minutes). Once you see darker bits forming and colour changing to golden amber (you will feel the smell), remove from the heat and strain straight away.
Top the asparagus with warm brown butter, a generous amount of Parmesan, black pepper and salt. I love using smoked pepper.
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Eggs and nuts.
Boil the eggs, peel, and separate the yolks from the whites, as you will only use the yolks. Chop or crush roasted hazelnuts.
Eggs and nuts. Drizzle the asparagus generously with mild extra virgin olive oil. Crumble egg yolk over, add chopped hazelnuts, smoked paprika, and salt to taste. Finish with chive flowers (or chives), though I do like to use the flowers as they have a milder taste and a beautiful look.
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Creamy ricotta plate.
Mix 2 tbsp ricotta + 2 tbsp cream cheese + 1 tbsp crème fraîche until smooth. Add oil from anchovies or Worcestershire sauce + salt. Taste and adjust. You can skip the anchovy oil or sauce, but they do give a deeper flavour (not easy to pinpoint, but it changes things).
Spread the cheese mixture on the plate, and place the asparagus on top. Add chopped tomatoes, or tomato halves if using cherry tomatoes, a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, salt (smoked salt if you have it), freshly ground pepper, and basil leaves.