Friday, July 23, 2010

Friday Food - Asparagus with Tarragon Sherry Vinaigrette


I am of the opinion that it's always wise to interrupt deep thoughts with good food. So, I'm doing that in my blog posts as well. Too much deep thinking is not good without sustenance.

Daniel recently found The Gourmet Cookbook (edited by Ruth Reichl) at the public library and, after we tried some of the recipes, bought a copy from a used book seller. It has over 1,000 pages of deliciousness, and - here it comes, dear friends!! - over 400 pages of baked goods and desserts. That's a cookbook for us!!

Here's a simple Asparagus recipe we tried the other evening and I thought you might like it, too. It reminded me of the way my mother would serve asparagus salads (with white asparagus, though) when I was growing up.

Asparagus with Tarragon Sherry Vinaigrette
from The Gourmet Cookbook

1 1/2 pounds medium asparagus, trimmed
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons minced shallot
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
1 hard-boiled large egg

Cook asparagus in a 4- to 5-quart wide pot of boiling well-salted water, uncovered, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness. With tongs, transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.

Whisk together vinegar, shallot, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until well blended. Whisk in tarragon.

Halve egg and force through a coarse-mesh sieve into a bowl. Toss asparagus with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette and divide among four plates. Spoon remaining vinaigrette over asparagus and top with egg.

Our variation: Instead of poaching the asparagus, we brushed it with a little bit of olive oil and then grilled it. It tasted soooo good!!

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

When I checked this morning, I saw that there are now 300 followers on my blog! I am simply blown away! Thank you so much - and Welcome to the new readers!! And, as soon as the creative muse visits me again, there will be a giveaway. Promise!!

But for now I wish you a most wonderful Friday and a great start to your weekend!

15 comments:

  1. Mhhh, genau mein Gericht! Habe mir gerade ein neues Jamie Oliver-Kochbuch zugelegt und kann gar nicht erwarten, das ein oder andere Rezept auszuprobieren.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good morning, BEAUTIFUL!

    I love asparagus. Alas! I cannot think of it without also thinking of methyl mercaptan! Some people are lucky! They get to breakdown the asparagus enzymes and viola! Phhoooeeey!

    Nevertheless, I love asparagus!!! I even have a special asparagus peeler, steamer and tongs! YEAH!

    Good morning!

    TSUP! TSUP!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This recipe sounds so good. Tom and I both love asparagus. I was also checking out Winslow's picture. He looks absolutely bored! Looks like he just woke up from a nap and has a half-hearted smile.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh this looks yummy Silke.I love your variation too.Olive oil and grilled.delish.I would omit the hardboiled egg because I dont like eggs.Everything else to good.I will jot this down.
    Happy Weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  5. BTW, the asparagus and egg combination (I am getting hungry) could be an entry for Illusration Friday's "Double" theme... you know what I mean? YOU DA BOMB!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your asparagus feast sounds wonderful and I love that tarragon is added...an herb that does not get used enough these days. I am copying this into our recipe folder and look forward to trying it this next spring when our asparagus is available.

    By the way, my wife's sister had a wonderful time GA. She was fascinated by the fact that there are 7 or 8 lanes on your freeways. She was not used to seeing so many people...we are from North Idaho after all.:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Das werde ich auch ausprobieren, danke für das Rezept. Spargel ist übrigens Gerlindes Lieblingsgemüse.
    Gratulation zum 300. Leser!
    Liebe Grüße, Verena

    ReplyDelete
  8. I hope I remember about this recipe when asparagus comes into season next year! It sound yummy - I love tarragon!

    ReplyDelete
  9. YUMMMMMMMMMMM. I love asparagus steamed, grilled, any way. Now this I could actually eat! Happy Friday, oh Beautiful One! **kisses** Deb

    ReplyDelete
  10. I must say, being a Southern girl, and now a transplanted Northerner, I've never seen this combination of foods together...EVER!!! I'm not sure how I feel about it exactly. :-) All of them separately,...asparagus, shallots, boiled eggs,...I love! Even love Olive oil and vinegar, but I'm going to have to ponder this mixture for a while. Maybe I'll get up the courage to try it.

    Hey, I love chitlings! Asparagus and boiled eggs can't be that much of an acquired taste, right?! :-))

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh Oh Oh what are you sewing??? I am working on velvet pumpkins and one wee pumpkin man. It is Autumn in my mind. **kisses** Deb

    ReplyDelete
  12. Looks great, Silke. I love asparagus. I always enjoy trying out new and exciting recipes. :) Have a great weekend! Theresa

    ReplyDelete
  13. That asparagus looks really good. I follow Ruth Reichl on Twitter. She writes rather poetic tweets about everyday life.

    Hope you are enjoying the weekend! hugs, B.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Mmmmmm...that sounds absolutely delishious! I love asparagus!

    Have a nice weekend,
    Doris and Gizzy
    http://www.CrochetinginGeorgia.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. what a wonderful recipe - asparagus is one of my favorites for summer! Grilled is the best way for sure! Congrats on your 300 plus followers! I have about that many also - and I just cannot imagine why??!! (But I am so thrilled and I LOVE them all so - much as you do!)

    Such a busy sumer for me dear friend. Seems I never stop! I feel like I am away from blogs of friends for so long - but I am so glad for a chance to catch up!

    Vicki

    ReplyDelete