My first entry....hmm, what to start with. So many food choices. I'll start with a starter. Makes sense, non?Mike and I recently spent a weekend in Bruges with some friends. If you've seen the movie "In Bruges" then you know that it's a beautiful gothic town in Belgium. It's in the northern half of the country where the people speak Flemmish, which is where the name of this dish comes from. (I highly recommend the movie, by the way.)
We went to de Gastro Food Experience and had Flemish Asparagus as a starter : braised asparagus with a hollandaise-style sauce. Although the dish was delish, we all wondered about the lumpy hollandaise....
It wasn't until I came home and Googled this dish that I learned it is made with hard boiled eggs, not raw eggs, which lends to the lumpy texture. I have adapted the recipe somewhat...it is commonly made with very large white asparagus, which are sometimes hard to find, even in season. If so, use the largest green ones you can find.
Serves 4
16 asparagus spears, use the fat ones
stock - veggie or chicken is best
3 soft boiled eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp dijon
1/2 tsp lemon zest
salt & pepper
lemon juice
more stock as needed
Preheat oven to 350F
Snap the first asparagus spear, then trim all the others to the same length. Peel the bottom of any really woodsy ones. Place in a shallow baking dish and pour in some stock just to cover the bottom of the pan - do not completely cover the asparagus. Bake for about 15 minutes until just tender.
Soft boil the eggs, then peel and place in a mini food processor or chop finely by hand. Add the butter, dijon, lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be the consistency of runny gravy. If yours is too thick, then thin it out with some stock. Set aside until asparagus are ready.
To serve, line up 4 asparagus on each plate. Add lemon juice to the egg sauce then place a large spoonful over the middle of the asparagus spears.
Great served warm. Enjoy with a cold Belgian ale!
