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Asparagus with Mousseline Sauce and Hazelnuts

By Allison |

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Asparagus with Mousseline Sauce and Hazelnuts

A few weeks ago, I was leafing through some recipes that I used for my cooking classes way back when. I came across an old favorite, Asparagus with Mousseline Sauce and Hazelnuts.

Yum!Asparagus is plentiful in Paris right now – both the green and white varieties. So my recipe jumped off the page: I thought this old chestnut (er… hazelnut?) would make a delicious lunch.

The mousseline sauce is wonderful: light, airy, and with a slight tang, it complements the asparagus perfectly, and the roasted hazelnuts add the nutty crunch that rounds out the variety of textures.

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Prep Time 30

Servings 4

Equipment

(optional) immersion hand blender with whisk attachment (a stand mixer is too large for the quantity of whipped cream)

Ingredients

20 spears fresh white or green asparagus, about 1.8 pounds (800 g) if using green asparagus, or 2.6 pounds (1.2 kg) if using white, or a mix of both colors!
½ cup (60 g) hazelnuts

For the mousseline sauce:

8 tablespoons (125 g) high-quality butter
⅛ cup (30 g) heavy cream, very cold
3 egg yolks from very fresh eggs
½ teaspoon salt
½ lemon, squeezed

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
Make the clarified butter: cut the butter into dice-sized cubes and place them in a small narrow pot. Heat over low for 10-20 minutes. The butter will sputter as it’s giving off its liquid. When you see clumpy milk solids on the top, and translucent butter (fat) underneath, turn off the heat.
Roast the hazelnuts in a shallow oven baking sheet for about 25 minutes, shaking it once or twice, until you begin to smell a wonderful hazelnutty smell in your kitchen. Let them cool directly on the baking sheet and then transfer them to a small bowl. Once cooled, chop the hazelnuts.
Skim the milk solids from the top of the butter, then pour the butter through a fine-meshed strainer, stopping before you reach the milk solids that have settled at the bottom. Reserve the clarified butter at room temperature. (You can throw away the leftover milk solids.)
Using an ordinary hand whisk or immersion hand blender with whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream to medium peaks. Leave it out at room temperature.
Snap the asparagus spears and peel if necessary (for white asparagus). Steam for about 8-12 minutes, or just until al dente. The spears should be slightly firm. Leave the asparagus in the steam basket.
In a small saucepan, beat the egg yolks with 3 tablespoons of water over medium-low heat, whisking in an 8 pattern constantly. First the mixture will become foamy, and gradually the bubbles will become smaller and smaller until the sauce thickens and becomes very shiny. If at any time during the process, you see steam coming from the pan, momentarily take it off the heat and keep whisking. Eventually you’ll see the bottom of the saucepan when you whisk. Remove from heat and add the salt.
Still off the heat, slowly whisk the clarified butter into the egg yolks in a small stream. Add the lemon juice, and gently fold in the whipped cream.
Serve the asparagus on a platter or divide between 4 small plates. Gently spoon the sauce over the asparagus spears, and sprinkle with the hazelnuts. Serve the extra sauce and hazelnuts on the table for your guests. Bon app’!

Notes

makes 4 first-course portions

Asparagus with Mousseline Sauce and Hazelnuts

Asparagus with Mousseline Sauce and Hazelnuts

Equipment

Ingredients

For the mousseline sauce:

Instructions

Notes

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