By Perre Coleman Magness, The Runaway Spoon
Serves 4 – 6, makes 3/4 cup sauce
1 pound bunch of asparagus
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon blood orange zest
2 Tablespoons blood orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.
2. In a pan wide enough to hold the asparagus, bring several inches of water to a boil (enough to fully cover the asparagus. Break off the thicker, woody stems of the asparagus spears. When you hold the bottom of the spears and bend, they will naturally snap off at the right place. Boil the asparagus for 4 -5 minutes until tender, but with a little bite left. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, immediately lift the asparagus into the waiting ice water, submerging completely. When the asparagus has cooled, remove it from the water, shake off and place in a single layer on a tea towel to dry. At this point, you may cover and chill the asparagus for several hours.
3. Make the sauce maltaise immediately before serving the asparagus. Cut the butter into chunks and place in a small saucepan, one with a pouring spout if you’ve got it. Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling it around occasionally until it is fully melted but not browned at all. While it’s melting, place the egg yolks, orange zest, orange and lemon juice and salt in the carafe of a blender. Whir it around to mix it all together. When the butter has melted, turn on the blender and slowly drizzle the warm butter into the sauce in a steady stream. When the butter has all been incorporated, turn off the blender. You should have an emulsion as thicker than heavy cream.
4. Serve the sauce maltaise with the asparagus immediately. If absolutely necessary, place the blender carafe in a sink filled with warm water up to the level of the sauce for 30 minutes to keep warm.
Here’s a helpful springtime tip: If you eat a lot of asparagus, and are always popping off the woody stems, save them in a plastic bag in the freezer until you have a good bag full. Use them to make a stock for an asparagus soup, which is a particularly good use for the last-of-the-season spears.
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