White Asparagus with Silky Hollandaise and Grated Cured Egg Yolk

⏱ 60 min · Serves 4

The great spring ritual, done properly: fat white spears poached in their own buttery, lemony liquor, blanketed in a warm hollandaise, then showered with salt-cured egg yolk grated over like golden snow. Start the yolks two days ahead — they take five minutes of work and make the plate look like it came from a starred kitchen.

Per serving: 520 kcal · 13.0g protein · 11.0g carbs · 48.0g fat

Ingredients

• 4 very fresh egg yolks (for curing)
• 300 g fine sea salt
• 300 g caster sugar
• 1.5 kg white asparagus (about 20 fat spears)
• 1 tsp caster sugar (for the cooking water)
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 strip lemon peel
• 20 g butter (for the asparagus water)
• 3 egg yolks (for the hollandaise)
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp dry white wine
• 1 shallot, finely sliced
• 4 white peppercorns, crushed
• 200 g unsalted butter, clarified and kept warm
• 1 tsp lemon juice, plus more to taste
• Pinch of cayenne
• Flaky salt
• 1 tbsp finely chopped chives
• Boiled new potatoes or good bread, to serve

Method

1. Two to three days ahead, cure the yolks: mix the sea salt and sugar, spread half in a small dish and make 4 shallow wells. Slip a yolk into each, cover completely with the remaining cure, and refrigerate uncovered for 48 hours until firm and jelly-like.
2. Rinse the cured yolks gently under cold water, pat dry, then sit them on a rack in the fridge (or a 60C oven for 1 hour) until dry and grateable. They keep, wrapped, for 2 weeks.
3. On the day, peel the asparagus thoroughly from just under the tip downwards with a peeler — white asparagus skin is tough. Snap or trim the woody ends and keep the peelings.
4. Bring a wide pan of water to a simmer with the peelings, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, the lemon peel and 20 g butter. Simmer 10 minutes, then strain out the peelings.
5. Lower the spears into the liquor and poach gently for 10-14 minutes, depending on thickness, until a knife slides into the base with only slight resistance. Turn off the heat and leave them in the warm liquor while you make the sauce.
6. For the hollandaise, simmer the vinegar, wine, shallot and peppercorns in a small pan until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Strain into a heatproof bowl and cool slightly.
7. Add the 3 egg yolks and 1 tbsp of the asparagus liquor to the bowl. Set over a pan of barely simmering water and whisk hard for 3-4 minutes until thick, pale and ribboning — the whisk should leave clear trails.
8. Off the heat, dribble in the warm clarified butter a little at a time, whisking constantly, until glossy and thick. Season with lemon juice, cayenne and salt. Keep somewhere warm, not hot.
9. Lift the asparagus out and drain well on a clean tea towel — wet spears water down the sauce. Arrange on warm plates.
10. Spoon the hollandaise generously over the middle of the spears, grate the cured yolk over the top with a microplane, scatter chives and flaky salt, and serve at once with potatoes or bread.