White asparagus

[Liza]

We had some green and some white asparagus to cook up. Decided on separate cooking methods to add interest and texture. Steamed up the greens - lovely. Roasted the whites -they remained stick straight for nearly an hour and then just collapsed into strings.

So. Should we bother with them again or stick with ol' reliable green? And...ok, tell me: what did I do wrong?

[tony h]

It may help to blanch them first.  I found the quality of whites is not consistent & ultimately not worth the bother as timing can be a problem.

[Adam_Balic]

White A. can be a real pain. It is often, so turgid that it can shatter during transport home and it can be difficult to cook. Try steaming it or if you can, stand them upright in a pan of water, so that the water comes up about 1/3 of the way up the stems, then simmer until cooked. The green has more flavour though.

[Jinmyo]

One question, Liza. Did you peel the white asparagus?

[Liza]

No I didn't peel them as silly me, I thought they looked thin enough. But dang if they ain't brittle!

[Jinmyo]

Hm. If you're eating them raw then you don't have to peel them. If you cook them, the difference between the skin and the stalk inside becomes a problem. That's why they looked solid for an hour and then collapsed. Just peel them, season, roast for about 15 to 20 minutes.

[Liza]

Many thanks, as usual, Jinmyo. Would it be wrong to stick with green variety?

[Jinmyo]

How could it be wrong?

Both are great on their own, great together. While white asparagus is relatively uncommon here in the New World, the green do have a more robust flavour. I think the white are best raw with a bit of porcini oil, nice salt and crushed pepper, and lemon zest. Or with a nice buttery sauce and a few shavings of truffle. But the green are more versatile. For example, white asparagus just get lost in a Thai fish curry but the green guys are good little soldiers who do their part.

Heh heh heh. Asparagus season. Heh heh heh.

[Liza]

Asparagus season.  . . I agree with the excitement. I love those tender tiny ones that come to market these days. And then comes . . .bean season!

[Cyn-bluefrog]

I know this topic has not been posted to in a little while, but I just got a hold of some white asparagus. I've never eaten it, nor cooked it, but I decided to get it anyway. In my search for recipes, I came across this one from StarChefs: White Asparagus and Green Garlic Soup by David Sellers. I hope it's as good as it sounds. The recipe calls for peeling the asparagus, so maybe they won't turn out like sticks.

Have I said I love this bulletin board? I really really love this BBS.

[Cyn-bluefrog]

An update, just in case anyone was wondering how the White Asparagus and Green Garlic Soup came out. Other than the fact that I absolutely hated peeling with a passion white asparagus (they are brittle), the soup's complexity and taste made up for it. Now I'm wondering to avoid my distress, should I 1) blanch then peel the asparagus, or 2) just use plain old green asparagus instead? Does anyone have any thoughts on how it might be different, or...?

[Liza]

The soup does sound terrific from your description. I've yet, since last spring, to try white asparagus again. But I'll consider it once I check out the recipe on starchefs. Thanks for the reminder!

EDIT:

Here's the link to the recipe:

http://starchefs.com/SoupSalad/sell_soup.html

Edited January 7, 2003 by Liza (log)

[awbrig]

for these...any suggestions for dinner tonight...too lazy to search around for recipes...thx y'all

[twodogs]

put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to just below a simmer

peel asparagus and trim bottoms (reserve for later use)

season asparagus with salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, olive oil, blanched lemon zest, lemon juice

place in a ziploc bag and suck the air out of it

place in another bag for added strength

place asparagus in the pot of water just below a simmer

cook for three hours, remove bag from water and let rest

serve hot from the bag or let cool and serve chilled, let them cool in the sealed bag they will pull in their own juices

while asparagus cooks, sweat asparagus trim seasoned with salt and sugar, add vermouth, cook out alcohol, add lemon juice then strain

taste broth and emulsify with butter or olive oil to add body to dress the asparagus or use the liquid to poach a piece of fish to serve with the asparagus

twodogs

[awbrig]

cook for three hours

Thx 2Dogs but your recipe, although sounds excellent, might be a little too time consuming for dinner tonight. Do you have a easier suggestion?

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to just below a simmer

peel asparagus and trim bottoms (reserve for later use)

season asparagus with salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, olive oil, blanched lemon zest, lemon juice

place in a ziploc bag and suck the air out of it

place in another bag for added strength

place asparagus in the pot of water just below a simmer

cook for three hours, remove bag from water and let rest

serve hot from the bag or let cool and serve chilled, let them cool in the sealed bag they will pull in their own juices

while asparagus cooks, sweat asparagus trim seasoned with salt and sugar, add vermouth, cook out alcohol, add lemon juice then strain

taste broth and emulsify with butter or olive oil to add body to dress the asparagus or use the liquid to poach a piece of fish to serve with the asparagus

twodogs

this sounds like redneck sous vide.

[col klink]

this sounds like redneck sous vide.

Sous vide? And what makes it redneck? The ziplock bags?

As for the three hours, white asparagus isn't any tougher than green asparagus is it?

[twodogs]

peel asparagus

make above asparagus broth/vinaigrette

cut asparagus into batons and season as if cooking though just marinate for as long as possible, liquid will exude, you are making a raw asparagus salad--add liquid to the asparagus broth and emulsify

drizzle broth hot or cold around the chilled salad

for fun you could marinate rhubarb in a similar fashion but add honey, lime zest and juice along with minced ginger and use it as a counterpoint to the white asparagus

these are raw salads and must be tasted before serving

adjust salt, sweet, acid and bitter

tasting is fun

[twodogs]

fabulous observation

it is redneck sous vide when you do not own a cryo-vac machine

[guajolote]

cut 1 spear into 5 different pieces. Make a different sauce for each piece. should be easy

[awbrig]

cut 1 spear into 5 different pieces. Make a different sauce for each piece. should be easy 

Ha

What a creative idea Deano!

[Jon Tseng]

put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to just below a simmer

peel asparagus and trim bottoms (reserve for later use)

season asparagus with salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, olive oil, blanched lemon zest, lemon juice

place in a ziploc bag and suck the air out of it

place in another bag for added strength

place asparagus in the pot of water just below a simmer

cook for three hours, remove bag from water and let rest

serve hot from the bag or let cool and serve chilled, let them cool in the sealed bag they will pull in their own juices

while asparagus cooks, sweat asparagus trim seasoned with salt and sugar, add vermouth, cook out alcohol, add lemon juice then strain

taste broth and emulsify with butter or olive oil to add body to dress the asparagus or use the liquid to poach a piece of fish to serve with the asparagus

twodogs

Thats fascinating. Why does it cook for so long? What happens to it after three ours? What effect does the sous-vide have?

J

[Hickory]

The few times I have tried white asparagus I have found it to be fairly bitter.

It is always like this or did I do something wrong in the cooking?

Brian

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

cut 1 spear into 5 different pieces. Make a different sauce for each piece. should be easy 

Ha

What a creative idea Deano!

Sounds like something that my overly creative ex-sous chef would do. It also reminds me of Jean Louis Palladin's tasting of root vegetables. That was pretty cool actually.

[maggiethecat]

put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to just below a simmer

peel asparagus and trim bottoms (reserve for later use)

season asparagus with salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, olive oil, blanched lemon zest, lemon juice

place in a ziploc bag and suck the air out of it

place in another bag for added strength

place asparagus in the pot of water just below a simmer

cook for three hours, remove bag from water and let rest

serve hot from the bag or let cool and serve chilled, let them cool in the sealed bag they will pull in their own juices

while asparagus cooks, sweat asparagus trim seasoned with salt and sugar, add vermouth, cook out alcohol, add lemon juice then strain

taste broth and emulsify with butter or olive oil to add body to dress the asparagus or use the liquid to poach a piece of fish to serve with the asparagus

twodogs

Cool. Welcome to eGullet twodogs. (Which breed?)