Asperges à la Polonaise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) wide sauté pan or shallow saucepan
• •Small light-colored saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Long oval serving platter
• •Clean absorbent kitchen towel

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the yolk garnish

   Place the eggs in a small saucepan, cover them with cold water by 1 inch, and bring the water just to a boil. Lower to a steady simmer and cook for 10 minutes, then cool the eggs in cold water and peel them. Halve the eggs, remove the fully set yolks, and reserve the whites for another meal. Press the yolks through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, add the chopped parsley, and lift them together lightly with a fork. Keep the mixture loose and granular rather than working it into a paste.

2. 2

   Cook and dry asparagus

   Bring about 3 quarts (2.8 L) water and the salt to a full boil in a wide pan. Lay in the asparagus with the heads facing the same direction and cook at a lively simmer for 3 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness. A knife should enter the stalk just below the head with slight resistance, and the spear should bend without collapsing. Drain immediately, spread the asparagus in one layer on a clean absorbent towel, and roll it gently to remove every bead of water. If moisture gathers after the spears reach the platter, lift them back onto the towel, dry them again, and wipe the dish. Nothing is lost.

   Do not rinse the cooked asparagus. Cooling water washes away seasoning and leaves exactly the wet surface the crumb finish cannot tolerate.
3. 3

   Arrange the rows

   Transfer the warm asparagus to a long serving platter, arranging the spears in two orderly rows with all the heads aligned. Scatter the sieved yolk and parsley mixture generously over the heads, leaving most of the green stalks visible. Set the platter near the table. The butter and crumbs must not be made until everyone is ready to eat.

4. 4

   Brown butter with crumbs

   Melt the butter in a small, light-colored saucepan over medium heat. As soon as it is fully melted and foaming, scatter in the fresh crumbs and stir continuously. The crumbs must fry while the butter's milk solids turn from pale gold to hazelnut brown, about 2 to 3 minutes; stop when the mixture smells nutty and the crumbs are crisp and deep gold. If the crumbs begin racing toward dark brown, pour everything into a cool metal bowl and keep stirring. Ça se rattrape: removing the mixture from the stored heat of the pan stops the browning. If it smells acrid or carries black flecks, remake it, because burned butter cannot be disguised.

   A light-colored pan lets you see the milk solids changing beneath the crumbs. In a dark pan, judge by aroma and lift a spoonful onto a white plate to check the color.
5. 5

   Finish and serve

   Without waiting, spoon the beurre noisette and its fried crumbs evenly over the dressed asparagus heads, allowing a little butter to run along the stalks and pool lightly on the platter. Serve at once, while the asparagus is tender and the crumbs still answer under the teeth. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose firm, closely budded asparagus of fairly even thickness so every spear cooks together. This dish truly needs good fresh asparagus; if the market offers only tired or woody spears, wait for the season or make the classical cousin, chou-fleur à la Polonaise, instead.
• •Use very fresh white bread with the crust removed and reduce it to fine, fluffy crumbs. Dry commercial crumbs absorb butter differently and brown before the beurre noisette develops its proper nutty character.
• •Keep the source's ratio by weight: four parts butter to one part crumb. The butter should remain visibly abundant enough to gloss the asparagus and carry the crumbs, not disappear into a dry breading. We don't apologize for butter.
• •Serve beside Easter lamb, roast chicken, or thick slices of jambon de Paris. A dry Loire Sauvignon Blanc suits the green asparagus, egg, and nutty butter without crowding them.
• •Leftovers can be chilled for one day and warmed gently in a covered pan, but the crumbs will soften. This is a dish made for immediate pleasure, not long storage.

Advance Preparation

• •The eggs can be hard-cooked up to 2 days ahead and kept chilled in their shells. Sieve the yolks and mix them with parsley shortly before cooking the asparagus.
• •Make the fresh crumbs up to 4 hours ahead and keep them covered at room temperature. Chop the parsley separately so it stays green and does not dampen the crumbs.
• •Trim and peel the asparagus up to 8 hours ahead, then wrap it in a barely damp towel and chill it. Do not boil or dress it ahead; dry asparagus and last-minute beurre noisette are the dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 275g)