ASPARAGUS WITH DUCK EGG YOLK DRESSING

English asparagus in season is one of the joys of being a chef! As a bunch, we look forward to this time of year more than most as it represents a change to warmer weather and shows summer is on its way! Farm shop asparagus is the best – peel it to get a fresher flavour without the bitterness of the skin. I serve the asparagus here with a delicious dressing that’s like a mix of hollandaise sauce, salad cream and mayonnaise rolled into one. The duck eggs give a lovely richness to the dressing and are a special touch for a celebratory meal.

INGREDIENTS

SERVES: 4

300ml water

100g butter, cubed

20 asparagus spears, peeled and the woody ends of the stalks broken off

salt, to taste

For the duck egg yolk dressing:

4 duck egg yolks

100ml white wine vinegar

50ml water

1 tsp English mustard powder

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp smoked paprika

2 hard-boiled duck eggs, shelled and finely grated

100ml double cream

2 tbsp capers in brine, drained and chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus extra leaves, to garnish

METHOD

1: Pour a couple centimetres of water into a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil. To make the dressing, whisk the egg yolks, white wine vinegar, water, mustard powder, sugar, salt and smoked paprika together in a heatproof bowl that will sit on top of the pan of boiling without touching the water. Place the bowl on top of the boiling water and whisk until the mix is creamy and doubles in volume.

2: Fold the hard-boiled eggs into the dressing, then add the double cream and then the capers and parsley. Remove the pan from the heat and keep to one side.

3: To cook the asparagus, bring the water and butter to the boil in a frying pan over a high heat, stirring to dissolve the butter. Add a pinch of salt and then place the asparagus in the pan and simmer for 3–4 minutes until tender. Remove the asparagus from the pan and drain on kitchen pepper.

4: Divide among 4 plates, drizzle the dressing over and garnish each plate with parsley leaves. Serve immediately, with the extra dressing on the side.

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