Asparagus with Sauce Mousseline and shrimps.
Fresh white asparagus is a spring favorite. Here I mixed the expensive white asparagus with some cheaper green ones, making it obvious that the white asparagus are a tad sweeter.
Sauce Mousseline is basically a Hollandaise sauce, where you fold in some soft whipped cream. making as lighter, more airy sauce.
You can serve this as an appetizer or as a main dish by adding some green lettuce and a slice of good bread.
Serves 2-4.
Ingredients:
8 white asparagus
8 green asparagus
1 tablespoon butter (for cooking the asparagus)
1 teaspoon salt (for cooking the asparagus)
green lettuce, I used field salad/cornsalad/mache lettuce
heavy whipping cream, you need about 2-3 tablespoons soft whipped cream
150 g cold water schrimp
Directions:
Make the Hollandaise sauce, and make it come to room temperature. Whisk the cream to a soft peak, so it’s ready to fold into the hollandaise just before serving.
Wash all the asparagus.
The green ones: Hold each spear about half way down its length and at the thick end. Now bend it until it snaps. Discard the little stub, or use it for flavor in a soup or casserole.
The white ones: Cut just under 1 inch (2 cm) off the bottom. Using a vegetable peeler, and starting just under the tip of each spear, peel away the tough outer layer.
Bring about 2 inches (5 cm) water to a boil in a a large shallow pot, add salt and butter. Add the white asparagus and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the green asparagus and cook for another 2 minutes, until the spears are tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place on a dry kitchen towel to briefly dry. Serve the asparagus immediately placing it on top of some green lettuce.
Fold in the soft whipped cream in the room temperature hollandaise, so it ends up light and airy. Spoon the now sauce mousseline over the asparagus and sprinkle the shrimps on top before serving.
Enjoy!