White Asparagus, Red Currant & Tarragon

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!