Morels + Asparagus = ?

[Alex]

Given last weekend's snowstorm, you wouldn't guess it, but morel and asparagus season is almost upon us here in Michigan. I'd love to put together a wonderful dish with those two ingredients when a couple of chef friends come over for dinner a few weeks from now.

I've previously made Tapawingo's Cassoulet of Morels, Fiddleheads and Asparagus, as well as the usual starch (risotto, pasta, etc.) combo, but I'd like to try something different. Morel-asparagus ice cream is definitely out, but I'm open to any other ideas.

[Busboy]

I guess an omlette or a frittata would be too simple, even if you tarted them up with cream and some sort of fancy ham? Or maybe the hip-again Bouchon quiche?

You could always claim you wanted to keep it simple to let the fresh seasonal ingredients shine, a la Alice Waters and those left-coast types.

Or hell, just serve them together with a buerre blanc that's had a little whipped cream stirred in at the end. Maybe some fried shallots on top for crunch.

[DRColby]

Tonight, after finding 2 hands full of morels we are having morels in a cream sauce atop toast , poached egg, and aspagus tips all topped with some Parmaisan cheese.

dave

[Carolyn Tillie]

I sauteed my morels with leeks, quickly pan sauteed asparagus in a separate skillet, and put it all atop angelhair pasta with a very rich cream sauce.

[Dryden]

Check out Tom Colicchio's Think Like A Chef, it includes a whole section on nothing but asparagus/morel recipes.

[Alex]

Check out Tom Colicchio's Think Like A Chef, it includes a whole section on nothing but asparagus/morel recipes.

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Thanks! That's the drawback (at least for me) of having 250 or so cookbooks -- I forget what's where.

[Fat Guy]

This has been the greatest week of my life in terms of asparagus and morel consumption -- kind of a perfect storm of asparagus and morels. I had asparagus with morels at Jean Georges on Monday, and then I had them at Alain Ducasse New York on Tuesday. Don't hate me.

Anyway, the lesson I took away from seeing the way two of the country's top restaurants treated asparagus and morels is: keep it simple. Both dishes were wonderful, but both were minimalist: at Jean Georges it was a riff on the traditional cream sauce; at Ducasse the asparagus and morels were an accompaniment to roasted veal, so they were enhanced with a veal jus. That would be my vote: roast some veal, make a jus, and serve the asparagus and morels with the veal and jus -- and maybe a little butter and whipped cream for good measure.

(If you have Delouvrier's book, Mastering Simplicity, there's the basic morel-and-asparagus recipe minus the veal.)

[SobaAddict70]

You could always go the Craft route and just combine them with a knob of butter and a little salt/pepper.

El Gordo has it right -- simple is best.

[Alex]

This has been the greatest week of my life in terms of asparagus and morel consumption -- kind of a perfect storm of asparagus and morels. I had asparagus with morels at Jean Georges on Monday, and then I had them at Alain Ducasse New York on Tuesday. Don't hate me.

Anyway, the lesson I took away from seeing the way two of the country's top restaurants treated asparagus and morels is: keep it simple. Both dishes were wonderful, but both were minimalist: at Jean Georges it was a riff on the traditional cream sauce; at Ducasse the asparagus and morels were an accompaniment to roasted veal, so they were enhanced with a veal jus. That would be my vote: roast some veal, make a jus, and serve the asparagus and morels with the veal and jus -- and maybe a little butter and whipped cream for good measure.

(If you have Delouvrier's book, Mastering Simplicity, there's the basic morel-and-asparagus recipe minus the veal.)

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I love the veal idea but unfortunately, for medical reasons, one of the guests is unable to eat red meat. I wonder if the same approach would work for roast chicken (or even turkey -- I still have one in the freezer), with maybe some veal or chicken glace thrown in.

Edited April 28, 2005 by Alex (log)

[Jason Perlow]

I had asparagus with morels at Jean Georges on Monday, and then I had them at Alain Ducasse New York on Tuesday. Don't hate me.

I hate you AND I hope your pee stinks (click).

[TJHarris]

My favorite way to enjoy morels and asparagus together is to saute them in a little whole butter, toss in a bit of reduced chicken broth fortified with some sherry and add a bit of orzo. Shave some parm reg over the top. Ramps also make a great addition to this.

[Fat Guy]

I love the veal idea but unfortunately, for medical reasons, one of the guests is unable to eat red meat. I wonder if the same approach would work for roast chicken (or even turkey -- I still have one in the freezer), with maybe some veal or chicken glace thrown in.

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I would think a whole roast chicken, basted with herb butter, would make for a very nice presentation with asparagus and morels. Take those pan juices -- which will be a combination of natural jus and herb butter -- and fortify them with a little glace and wine and maybe shallots and hey why not a little whipped cream, and you're all set.