White Asparagus with Vegan Hollandaise Sauce

Frou frou asparagus, in a frou frou dish

When I saw white asparagus at the French supermarket for 99¢ (about $1.59) I couldn't resist. I placed it gently in my shopping trolley, and brought it home across the Channel.

But I remembered reading somewhere that something special had to be done to white asparagus, unlike green asparagus.

I Googled and discovered that white asparagus has to be peeled, and then cooked for 20 minutes. So I peeled each stalk, a time-consuming process, and even then, I don't think I got all the peel off. After boiling it for 20 minutes, it still was tough and stringy, especially toward the bottom of the stalk. I should have broken them off, like I do with green asparagus, but instead I'd followed instructions to only cut off the last inch.

But the Hollaindaise Sause, made with French soya cream, was delicious. So I'm posting this recipe, with a caveat that white asparagus just isn't worth the effort. It doesn't have as much flavor as green asparagus, and takes a lot longer to prepare. Kinda makes me wonder why European farmers go to all the trouble of piling up the earth around the stalks to prevent them from turning green in the sunlight.

I also really wanted to show you my new serving dish I got at one of the frou frou shops in Noordwijk. It was 50% off, so I guess it was only frou.

White Asparagus in Hollandaise Sauce

Like I suggested, you may prefer to use green asparagus in this dish. If so, prepare as usual—breaking off at the natural breaking point, and cook in boiling salted water with a squeeze of lemon juice.

1 lb white asparagus, peeled
squeeze of lemon
salt

Break the ends off the asparagus at the natural breaking point, about 2-3 inches from the end. Discard the ends and peels. Place in a large pan of salted boiling water, with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Cook for 20 minutes at a rolling boil. Drain.

Meanwhile, make the Hollandaise Sauce:

1 cup soy cream (if you can get a French brand, count yourself lucky)
2 tablespoons margarine
juice of one lemon
salt to taste

Heat the soy cream in a small sauce pan. Add the margarine and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and salt. Taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Pour the sauce over the asparagus, and serve garnished with a slice of lemon if desired.

Comments

[SusanV]

Whew! Am I glad I read this. I've been thinking of trying white asparagus, just to see what I've been missing. Now I know not to bother.

I did get purple asparagus, which was so new at the store that they didn't know the price and so gave it to me for the regular asp. price. It tasted just the same as green, though being dark, it was hard to tell when it had been roasted enough.

I love your frou dish, and the sauce looks delicious. No French soy cream here, though.

[Manda]

Absolutely agree about white asparagus, it's foul but they just love it over here and it's almost impossible to get the green, even in tins!

I'm sending back to the UK for some supplies now May has come.

[KathyF]

Manda, I had some in Holland, and it wasn't as stringy as mine, but it didn't taste much at all. None of the strong "asparengi" taste. It was like eating water with texture. So what's the point?

[Anke]

wow, at that price the asparragus can't have been good quality. we pay 4 euros per pound, that's ca. 6 dollars. when you write it was stringy, that indicates that it was cheap quality. think dried-out, old, bland oranges in March compared to their juicy, fruity, aromatic counterparts in December.

think barely ripe, bland, tasteless strawberries in January compared to their juicy, velvety-red counterparts in June, picked fresh at a field.

and yeah, you need to peel it, and when doing so you need to get all the peel off. just like with potatoes.

white asparragus, and by that I mean good quality, has sooooo much more flavor than green asparragus. I love both varieties, but right now during spargel season, no green stalks on my plate, no ma'am...

[KathyF]

Anke, I thought it was asparagus season, so the asparagus would be freshest. Maybe it's because it was at a Champion supermarket.

Oh well, if I see it on a menu maybe I'll order it, but it is too much trouble to cook!