
White Asparagus, Red Currant & Tarragon
1h 35m
Prepare the pickled white asparagus, the pickled red currant & leaves, the tarragon oil, and the red currant & vermouth vinaigrette ahead of time. It's great to have them on-hand in the fridge, especially when you have spontaneous guests and want to impress them with a nice fresh spring dish.
Garnish with hazelnuts and your favorite herbs or leaves.
Trim off the ends and peel 500 g of white asparagus
Place the asparagus into a sanitized glass jar with a tight-fitting lid
Bring water to a boil in a large pan over medium-high heat
Add 400 ml of water and 50 g of white sugar to a pot over medium heat
Mix 40 g of 12% distilled vinegar and salt to taste. Add to the pot and whisk to combine. Boil until all the ingredients are dissolved
Pour the hot liquid over the asparagus, fully covering them. Seal the jar
Reduce to a simmer and place the closed jar in the water. Simmer for 10m to sterilize
Place 100 g of unripe red currant berries and 50 g of red currant leaves in a 300 ml sterilized glass jar
Add ½ cup of water and 2 tbsp of sugar to a pan over medium heat
Add 2¾ tbsp of white vinegar and 1 tsp of salt. Whisk and bring to a boil
Cover the berries and leaves with the liquid. Let it cool down to room temperature, then close the lid and store in the refrigerator. Reserve the remaining liquid. Your pickled red currant & leaves are ready
Fill a medium pot with water and add 2 tbsp of salt. Stir to dissolve the salt and bring to a boil over high heat
Let the jar of asparagus cool down at room temperature
Store the jar in the fridge or in a cold and dark cellar. The pickled white asparagus are ready
Add 6 cups of picked tarragon leaves to the salted water. Push down to ensure all leaves are submerged. Boil for 10s until the tarragon just starts to wilt
Remove the leaves from the water. Drain them well and squeeze out any excess water
Transfer to a blender and add 1 cup of grapeseed oil. Blend for 10m on medium speed until the oil is dark green
Add 100 g of the red currant pickling liquid to a tall container
Add 100 g of red currants
Add 100 g of red vermouth
Blend with a hand blender until completely smooth
Strain it
Small dice 200 g of asparagus stems
Add the diced asparagus to the currant liquid and stir in 200 g of the tarragon oil. The red currant & vermouth vinaigrette is ready
Strain the tarragon through a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth
The tarragon oil is ready
Remove the bottom ¼ of the Pickled White Asparagus
Add 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to a pan over medium-high heat
Add the Pickled White Asparagus and pan-roast until warm
Place the asparagus on a plate and drizzle the Red Currant & Vermouth Vinaigrette along the side
Garnish with pickled currants, fresh tarragon leaves and chopped, toasted hazelnuts to taste. The white asparagus, red currant & tarragon is ready
Enjoy this refreshing recipe!
Yield 4 people
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp
Pickled White Asparagus
Asparagus
500 gWater
400 mlWhite Sugar
50 g12% Distilled Vinegar
40 gSalt
to tasteWater
to boil
Pickled Red Currant & Leaves
Unripe Red Currant Berry
100 gRed Currant Leaves
50 gWhite Vinegar
2⅔ tbspWhite Sugar
2 tbspSalt
1 tspWater
½ cup
Tarragon Oil
Picked Tarragon
6 cupsGrapeseed Oil
1 cupSalt
2 tbsp
Red Currant & Vermouth Vinaigrette
Red Currant
100 gStem of Asparagus
200 gRed Vermouth
100 g
Equipment
Glass Jar
Peeler
Kitchen Scale
Glass Jar
Blender
Hand Blender
Strainer