As classic as spaghetti and meatballs or bread and butter, Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce is one of the traditional pairings seen at many fancy, fluffy, upscale restaurants! It's one of the most well known sauces, but also the one people fear the most! Let's face it, when seeing the minimal ingredients of warm egg yolks, butter and lemon juice, you're probably thinking "how can this be good?" Well friends, it definitely is! Just wait...you'll see!
When Anna and Vince hosted a Las Vegas themed Great 8 dinner, their menu wasn't something designed after a touristy restaurant straight off The Strip. It was more along the lines of one of the upscale restaurants inside The Wynn or The Paris Hotels. The fancy kind of restaurants their son, Bill, when he was little, used to call "CNR"... Cloth Napkin Restaurants! How cute is that! I love it!
I think up until the Great 8 Vegas dinner, I had only had Hollandaise Sauce at breakfast on Eggs Benedict. The lemony flavor is my favorite part. Just the right amount here to cut the richness. Not a fan of thick Hollandaise Sauce? This is the one for you. If I'm having any type of cream sauce, I'd rather it be on thinner side. Creamy but still on the lighter side. Imagining the flavor of this creamy sauce on fresh roasted asparagus, one of my favorite vegetables, I knew right then that it would be a delicious combination of flavors.
I was so excited to find the dark purple tipped spears at the market
and when roasted to the perfect crispness, the asparagus turn to a bright fresh green color that looks Gr8 on any platter.
The creamy Hollandaise Sauce with crisp fresh Roasted Asparagus...a definite Yum!
Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 egg yolks, from large eggs
- ½ Tablespoon cream
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- scant ½ teaspoon, (or more depending on personal taste) finely chopped tarragon
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
- Dash Worcestershire Sauce
- Small pinch of cayenne pepper, (optional)
- 2 bunches fresh asparagus spears, bases trimmed
- Olive oil
Instructions
Hollandaise Sauce
- Off the heat, place the egg yolks and cream in the top pan of a double boiler. Using a wire whisk, stir until combined. Be sure not to "beat". Stir evenly and continuously.
- Place the lower pan with enough water that will not touch the bottom of the upper pan when it's on top. Bring water to a heavy simmer. Remove from heat.
- Immediately place the upper pan (with the yolks and cream) over hot water, making sure the top pan doesn't touch the water below.
- While stirring continuously, from time to time, remover the upper pan and continue stirring for about 30 seconds. Place upper pan on the lower pan with water, and continue stirring while combining the entire mixture, not allowing any film to stick to the bottom of the pan. Repeat this several times until the egg yolk and cream mixture becomes as thick as heavy cream.
- Very slowly add, in intervals, the cooled melted butter, but stirring vigorously. You want each addition to be completely blended in before another addition of butter is added.
- When all the butter has been added, slowly add the lemon juice in droplets. Add the chopped tarragon.
- Immediately remove from heat.
- Add a dash of Worcestershire Sauce and cayenne, if using.
- Keep warm, stirring as often as possible while asparagus are roasting.
Roasting Asparagus
- Preheat oven to 400º.
- Place asparagus spears on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- Roast for 10- 12 minutes, or until crisp and tender.
- Divide asparagus between plates.
- Serve with Hollandaise Sauce on top, or pass the sauce in a gravy boat.
Debbie
Lon, it will be the perfect side dish to add to your summer dinners...inside or out! Let us know when you make it. You will love the light citrus/tarragon touch!
Claudia Kerns
This is an absolute must!! Thank you!