Asparagus Au Beurre Recipes

PERFECT ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus (if you sharply bend the asparagus near the base, it will snap in the right place). Discard the ends.
• Place the asparagus on the sheet and drizzle with 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil, just enough to lightly coat the asparagus. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the asparagus, and toss until the spears are lightly coated in oil. Arrange the spears in a single layer on the pan.
• Bake just until the base of the asparagus is easily pierced through by a fork. Very thin asparagus, like the kind shown here, will take as little as 9 to 12 minutes, whereas thicker asparagus will need 15 to 20 minutes.
• Transfer the roasted asparagus to a serving platter and season however you'd like. You could keep it simple with a squeeze of lemon juice, or a sprinkle of Parmesan, or add a pat of butter or drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
• Roasted asparagus is best served when it's fresh out of the oven, but it will keep at room temperature for up to 1 hour or up to 4 days in the refrigerator (gently reheat before serving).

OVEN-ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Place the asparagus into a mixing bowl, and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat the spears, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Arrange the asparagus onto a baking sheet in a single layer.
• Bake in the preheated oven until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. Sprinkle with lemon juice just before serving.

ASPARAGUS WRAPPED IN PROSCIUTTO WITH BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Remove the woody ends of the asparagus spears trimming the spears to the same length.
• Bundle 3 asparagus stalks together and wrap each grouping with one slice of prosciutto, leaving the tips exposed. Drizzle the bundles with olive oil.
• Roast the bundles for 10 minutes, or until the asparagus ends and the prosciutto slices are crisp.
• Drizzle each prosciutto-wrapped asparagus bundle with the prepared beurre blanc and serve.
• Bring the shallots, vinegar, and wine to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until the liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 5 minutes.
• Add the cream, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in a few tablespoons butter. Continue to whisk and add a few pieces at a time of the remaining butter. Wait until each addition is incorporated before adding more butter. The sauce should remain warm, but never hot or the sauce will break.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and season with salt, and pepper, to taste. If desired, strain the sauce through a sieve to remove the shallot. Discard the shallot. Serve the sauce immediately.
• Beurre Rouge: Replace the white wine in the original recipe with red wine and the white wine vinegar with red wine vinegar.
• Beurre Citron: Replace the vinegar and wine in the original recipe with 1/4 cup citrus (lemon, lime, and/or orange) juice and add 1 teaspoon citrus zest.
• Lime-Ginger: Replace the vinegar in the original recipe with an equal amount of lime juice and add 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger.
• Saffron: Add a pinch saffron threads to the reduction.

CREAM OF ASPARAGUS SOUP (CRèME D'ASPERGES)

Steps:

• Cut tips from 12 asparagus 1 1/2 inches from top and halve tips lengthwise if thick. Reserve for garnish.
• Cut stalks and all remaining asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• While soup simmers, cook reserved asparagus tips in boiling salted water until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain.
• Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth, transferring to a bowl (use caution when blending hot liquids), and return to pan. Stir in crème fraîche, then add more broth to thin soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil and whisk in remaining tablespoon butter.
• Add lemon juice and garnish with asparagus tips.

BUTTER-BRAISED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Snap off and discard the tough bottoms of the asparagus spears. If using large, thick asparagus, peel the lower ends with a vegetable peeler.
• Put butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus in one layer and season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup water, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the asparagus is firm-tender, about 3 minutes. Take care not to overcook them; they should still be bright green. (They will continue to cook a bit once the heat is off.) Remove the asparagus from the pan and place on a serving platter.
• Turn heat to high and simmer briskly until most of the liquid has evaporated, a minute or so. Add lemon juice and zest to the buttery juices. Turn off heat and stir in chives, parsley, tarragon and dill, if using. Check seasoning. Spoon the sauce over the asparagus, garnish with a few herb leaves, and serve.

SOLE-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS WITH TANGERINE BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Prepare fish:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
• Brush a 13- by 9-inch roasting pan with some of melted butter, then sprinkle shallot and zest in pan.
• Trim asparagus to about 7 inches long, then peel spears starting from 2 inches below tip of each.
• Arrange fish fillets, skinned sides up, on a work surface and season with salt and pepper. Lay 5 or 6 asparagus perpendicularly across 1 fillet and wrap fish around them to make a bundle. Repeat with remaining fillets and asparagus. Transfer bundles, seam sides down, to roasting pan and brush fish with remaining melted butter. Season with salt and pepper, then add water to pan. Cover pan tightly with foil and bake until fish is just cooked through and asparagus is crisp-tender, about 20 minutes.
• Make beurre blanc while fish bakes:
• Boil tangerine juice with shallot in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until reduced to about 2 tablespoons, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to moderately low, then whisk in 1 tablespoon butter, whisking constantly. Add remaining butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly, adding each piece before previous one has completely melted, and lifting pan from heat occasionally to cool mixture. Remove from heat and stir in salt, cayenne, and lemon juice.
• Transfer fish with a slotted spatula to a platter and reserve pan juices. Cover fish with foil. Discard zest, then pour pan juices into a 10-inch skillet and boil over moderately high heat until reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk into beurre blanc.
• Blot any liquid accumulated on platter with paper towels, then spoon sauce over fish.