Steamed asparagus with tarragon aioli makes and easy and elegant appetizer or h'ors d'oeuvre.
Steps
1
Preparing the Tarragon Aioli
Ingredients
Roasted Garlic Aioli (Rouxbe Recipe)
1 tbsp fresh tarragon
First prepare the Roasted Garlic Aioli.
Once done, roughly chop the tarragon and mix into the aioli. Transfer to the refrigerator while you steam the asparagus.
2
Steaming the Asparagus
Ingredients
1 lb fresh asparagus
pinch sea salt
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Set up a steamer. Fill with one inch of water and place over medium-high heat. Refer to the lessons on Steaming for more information, if necessary.
Wash the asparagus and snap off the tough ends. Trim the ends so they are even. Place the asparagus in the steaming basket and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.
Once the water comes to a simmer, place the basket over the water and cover. Depending on the thickness of the asparagus, let steam for approximately 3 to 5 minutes or until almost cooked through. The asparagus should still have a tiny bit of crunch to it.
Once done, remove from the steaming basket and shock in an ice bath. Once cool, drain and pat dry. Gently toss with a small drizzle of olive oil.
3
Assembling the Dish
Place the steamed asparagus onto a plate and set the aioli beside it. To enjoy, guests can simply dip the asparagus into the aioli.
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Steamed for 4 minutes and asparagus were perfectly cooked. They were tasty with the aioli (I made roasted garlic aioli as I couldn't find tarragon in the store). The ice bath made them nearly cold, so if I was preparing this dish with a plated dinner, I would probably par cook the asparagus in advance and then finish just before service. Delicious!
Tried these again to compliment the Butterflied Roast Chicken recipe and the Ultimate Baked Potato recipe. I steamed the asparagus just before serving and they were once again, perfectly cooked in 4 minutes. Once cooked through, I discarded the water and placed them in the bottom of the pot. I added a dollop of compound butter (shallot, chive and tarragon) to flavor them (along with some salt and pepper). I chose to use the compound butter as I had already used it on the chicken. Fantastic!
Sunnie, hello: Sounds like another stellar cooking adventure in your kitchen. You may want to think about reserving the asparagus "water" and using it as a base for a vegetable stock. It will freeze well. Your dish sounds, in your words, "fantastic." Thanks for sharing. -Char
Lauren L •Hi Marjorie. Thank you for your comment. I am so glad that you and your family enjoyed this! Lauren
Sunnie S •Steamed for 4 minutes and asparagus were perfectly cooked. They were tasty with the aioli (I made roasted garlic aioli as I couldn't find tarragon in the store). The ice bath made them nearly cold, so if I was preparing this dish with a plated dinner, I would probably par cook the asparagus in advance and then finish just before service. Delicious!
Char N • Rouxbe Staff •Sunnie, hello: Sounds like another stellar cooking adventure in your kitchen. You may want to think about reserving the asparagus "water" and using it as a base for a vegetable stock. It will freeze well. Your dish sounds, in your words, "fantastic." Thanks for sharing. -Char