Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

Description

Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce - Authentic recipe from Luxembourg. Ready in 30 min. Try it now!

1. 1

   Peel 500 g of white asparagus from top to bottom (starting 2-3 cm below the tip) and snap off the woody ends. Keep the ends and peelings for asparagus stock. In a pot, bring 1 litre of water to the boil with 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and 1 knob of butter. Add the asparagus and simmer gently for 10-12 minutes until tender (not at a rolling boil!).

   ⏱️ approx. 18 min

   💡 Tip: White asparagus is the king of vegetables in Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium. Sugar in the cooking water neutralises the natural bitterness. To test for doneness, pierce the asparagus with a fork — it should give slightly without breaking.

2. 2

   Hollandaise sauce: whisk three egg yolks with 1 tbsp water in a bain-marie (bowl over simmering water, no direct contact) until pale, creamy and roughly tripled in volume. Remove from the heat. Whisk in 150 g of clarified butter (melted, with the white foam skimmed off) drop by drop.

   ⏱️ approx. 15 min

   💡 Tip: Never let the hollandaise boil — eggs curdle above 70 degrees. The bain-marie keeps the temperature below 65 degrees. Clarified butter (ghee) gives a silkier sauce than ordinary butter. If the sauce is too thick, stir in 1-2 tsp of warm water.

3. 3

   Season the finished hollandaise with 1 tbsp lemon juice, salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Lift the asparagus out of the water and arrange on warmed plates. Spoon the hollandaise sauce over the asparagus. Garnish with chives. Serve immediately — hollandaise cools quickly and splits if reheated.

   ⏱️ approx. 5 min

   💡 Tip: Serve hollandaise sauce immediately, or keep it warm for 30 minutes at most (over the switched-off bain-marie). Never bring it to the boil or reheat it — the emulsion will split.