You thought I was going to say "action", right? Well, you had good reason to think so, but you're wrong.
I'm thinking about another a-word:
Asparagus!!
It is so yummy. Roasted, steamed, sauteed, whatevs. And it's in season now, which is extra super awesome. Sometimes being in season will help the price of a fresh fruit or veggie (though most noticeably if you shop at one of the farmers' markets or a local co-op grocery store), but sometimes it doesn't - but when it's in season it's worth what you're paying, because it tastes so much better. Unfortunately I have been completely market-deprived as of late... hopefully this sadness doesn't last too much longer. I really miss the market. I miss the people, the music, walking around in the fresh downtown Troy air (yeah, I'm serious), running into friends at random, adorable kiddos in strollers, sucking on honey straws, and adorable puppies sniffing literally EVERYONE.
But anyhoo, this isn't about puppies, as much as I like them too. We're talking about veggies here.
Asparagus doesn't need much, really. A hot oven, a little good extra-virgin olive oil, a little salt and pepper (and a bit of this, if you're feeling wild and crazy), and you're good to go. Here's an official recipe for Roasted Asparagus, which will probably be helpful if you've never done it before. If you have done it before, even just once - as long as they came out right - you're pretty much a pro. But a good standby recipe to play with never hurt anyone, so here we go!
24 large asparagus spears (about 2 pounds), trimmed and peeled
Extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
[Aged balsamic vinegar
Parmesan, for shaving]
[ ] = good, but not really necessary
Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange asparagus spears in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle oil over asparagus and turn to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until lightly browned and just tender, 18-20 minutes.
Transfer asparagus to a platter. To serve, drizzle vinegar over hot asparagus and use a vegetable peeler to shave Parmesan over the spears.
(Original recipe posted here.)
Now, if you're one of those people who can't help but associate asparagus with hollandaise sauce, I forgive you. Just kidding - there's nothing to forgive, but there is another recipe to be shared. Found this in another Blogger's archives. Her name is Mallory, and she seems like a pretty cool chick. With roasted asparagus, I had the thought to use brown butter instead of regular butter, so I googled "brown butter hollandaise sauce" - and the rest is history. Here's the recipe she posted (I haven't tried it yet, but it looks good):
Brown Butter Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup melted butter (in this case I browned the butter first)
- salt to taste (if you want to season with pepper too, use white pepper so there aren't ugly black flecks in your sauce)
First you are going to want to create a double boiler. Put about an inch of water in a pot and place a bowl on top (I prefer to use one that is fairly heat proof to help insulate the egg). In the bowl mix your egg yolk and lemon juice. You want the heat to be fairly low. The water should be just below a simmer.
Start whisking away. It will be ready when the yolk has lightened in color and thickened into a custard-like consistency. This is called the ribbon stage. Literally if you lift up your whisk it should form ribbons.
As for the butter, it needs to be melted. I took it an extra step further by browning the butter as well. This is exactly what it sounds like. I cooked the butter in a pot over medium heat or so until it turned brown. The flavor and aroma take on a nuttiness that makes butter better than it already is. Just be careful that you don't cook it too long or it will go from golden brown to black. And no one wants burned butter.
Then it is time for the butter and eggs to become one. It's as simple as removing the bowl from the double boiler and pouring the melted butter into the thickened egg yolk. You just have to make sure that you do this VERY GRADUALLY while whisking CONSTANTLY. This allows the mixture time to emulsify into the thick, creamy hollondaise we all know and love. If you have ever made mayonnaise, it's basically the same idea except it's heated. Once the sauce is stable you can add in the butter more quickly. The more you add, the thicker it gets. If it happens to get too thick, just add in some cream to thin it out. All you have left to do is taste to see if it needs salt and pepper then voila, you have made it through the trials and tribulations of making a hollandaise.
(Original recipe posted here.)
Sounds pretty straightforward, right? And if you've never experienced the utter bliss that comes from eating pretty much anything involving brown butter, you must check this out. It was after reading Olga's swoonings over brown butter that I decided I had to try the stuff. And... well... try it for yourself, because there's no way my description can do justice to what I actually felt when I ate brown butter pound cake for the first time. But since then, I've found ways to work it into many recipes.
I'm thinking about another a-word:
Asparagus!!
It is so yummy. Roasted, steamed, sauteed, whatevs. And it's in season now, which is extra super awesome. Sometimes being in season will help the price of a fresh fruit or veggie (though most noticeably if you shop at one of the farmers' markets or a local co-op grocery store), but sometimes it doesn't - but when it's in season it's worth what you're paying, because it tastes so much better. Unfortunately I have been completely market-deprived as of late... hopefully this sadness doesn't last too much longer. I really miss the market. I miss the people, the music, walking around in the fresh downtown Troy air (yeah, I'm serious), running into friends at random, adorable kiddos in strollers, sucking on honey straws, and adorable puppies sniffing literally EVERYONE.
But anyhoo, this isn't about puppies, as much as I like them too. We're talking about veggies here.
Asparagus doesn't need much, really. A hot oven, a little good extra-virgin olive oil, a little salt and pepper (and a bit of this, if you're feeling wild and crazy), and you're good to go. Here's an official recipe for Roasted Asparagus, which will probably be helpful if you've never done it before. If you have done it before, even just once - as long as they came out right - you're pretty much a pro. But a good standby recipe to play with never hurt anyone, so here we go!
24 large asparagus spears (about 2 pounds), trimmed and peeled
Extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
[Aged balsamic vinegar
Parmesan, for shaving]
[ ] = good, but not really necessary
Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange asparagus spears in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle oil over asparagus and turn to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until lightly browned and just tender, 18-20 minutes.
Transfer asparagus to a platter. To serve, drizzle vinegar over hot asparagus and use a vegetable peeler to shave Parmesan over the spears.
(Original recipe posted here.)
Now, if you're one of those people who can't help but associate asparagus with hollandaise sauce, I forgive you. Just kidding - there's nothing to forgive, but there is another recipe to be shared. Found this in another Blogger's archives. Her name is Mallory, and she seems like a pretty cool chick. With roasted asparagus, I had the thought to use brown butter instead of regular butter, so I googled "brown butter hollandaise sauce" - and the rest is history. Here's the recipe she posted (I haven't tried it yet, but it looks good):
Brown Butter Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup melted butter (in this case I browned the butter first)
- salt to taste (if you want to season with pepper too, use white pepper so there aren't ugly black flecks in your sauce)
First you are going to want to create a double boiler. Put about an inch of water in a pot and place a bowl on top (I prefer to use one that is fairly heat proof to help insulate the egg). In the bowl mix your egg yolk and lemon juice. You want the heat to be fairly low. The water should be just below a simmer.
Start whisking away. It will be ready when the yolk has lightened in color and thickened into a custard-like consistency. This is called the ribbon stage. Literally if you lift up your whisk it should form ribbons.
As for the butter, it needs to be melted. I took it an extra step further by browning the butter as well. This is exactly what it sounds like. I cooked the butter in a pot over medium heat or so until it turned brown. The flavor and aroma take on a nuttiness that makes butter better than it already is. Just be careful that you don't cook it too long or it will go from golden brown to black. And no one wants burned butter.
Then it is time for the butter and eggs to become one. It's as simple as removing the bowl from the double boiler and pouring the melted butter into the thickened egg yolk. You just have to make sure that you do this VERY GRADUALLY while whisking CONSTANTLY. This allows the mixture time to emulsify into the thick, creamy hollondaise we all know and love. If you have ever made mayonnaise, it's basically the same idea except it's heated. Once the sauce is stable you can add in the butter more quickly. The more you add, the thicker it gets. If it happens to get too thick, just add in some cream to thin it out. All you have left to do is taste to see if it needs salt and pepper then voila, you have made it through the trials and tribulations of making a hollandaise.
(Original recipe posted here.)
Sounds pretty straightforward, right? And if you've never experienced the utter bliss that comes from eating pretty much anything involving brown butter, you must check this out. It was after reading Olga's swoonings over brown butter that I decided I had to try the stuff. And... well... try it for yourself, because there's no way my description can do justice to what I actually felt when I ate brown butter pound cake for the first time. But since then, I've found ways to work it into many recipes.
