White asparagus with Champagne beurre blanc

Name: White asparagus with Champagne beurre blanc
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 4 black peppercorns; 1 tarragon sprig; 15 g (½ oz) butter; 1 French shallot, finely chopped; 175 g (6 oz) butter, chilled and cubed; 175 ml (5½floz) Champagne or dry white wine; 200 ml (7floz) milk; 20 white asparagus spears, about 600g (1lb5oz), trimmed

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
30 min

Appears in

Vegetarian

By Alice Hart

Published 2018

About

White asparagus is grown in darkness below the soil surface to keep it blanched of colour, and the resulting spears are delicately flavoured. Some people add sugar to the cooking water to prevent bitterness, but simmering the asparagus in diluted milk has the same effect without the sweetness.

Ingredients

20 white asparagus spears, about 600g (1lb5oz), trimmed
200 ml (7floz) milk

Dinner
Side dish
Gluten-free
Vegetarian

Method

Start by making the beurre blanc reduction. Place the shallot, peppercorns, tarragon and Champagne or dry white wine in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer the liquid down slowly for a few minutes until reduced by two-thirds. Strain through a sieve into a heatproof bowl.

Carefully pare away the skin from the asparagus stalks (but not the tips) using a vegetable peeler, treating the