Asparagus With Hazelnuts And Tarragon Vinaigrette Food

GRILLED ASPARAGUS WITH TANGERINE MAYONNAISE

Steps:

• Put the tangerine juice in a small non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup. Let cool to room temperature.
• Peel the tangerines, removing all the white pith, and segment over a bowl to catch both the segments and the juices. Cover and refrigerate until very cold.
• Combine the reduced juice, tarragon, egg yolk, and salt and pepper, to taste, in a blender and blend until well mixed. With the machine running, add the 1 cup olive oil, at first by drops and then, as mixture emulsifies, in a thin, steady stream until all the oil is incorporated. Taste, for seasoning. Scrape into a jar, cover, and refrigerate until needed. You should have about 1 2/3 cups mayonnaise. Keeps 2 to 3 days, refrigerated.
• Prepare the grill and let burn down to medium coals. Toss the cooled asparagus with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium to low coals, turning the spears as needed, until they take on a little color and are just tender, about 6 minutes. Cover the grill, if necessary, to maintain the heat.
• Arrange the asparagus on a platter with the reserved tangerine segments. Dot with the mayonnaise, and drizzle with any tangerine juice left in the bowl. Garnish with fresh or candied zest and the nuts, if using. Serve at once.
• Cook's Note: Every cook has insecurities. One of mine is mayonnaise. I always get a little anxious until I see it coming together in the blender. If the mayonnaise is too thick, thin it, with the machine running, by pulsing in a little cool water. If you are concerned about raw eggs, use a pasteurized egg product or an egg substitute such as Egg Beaters.

GRILLED LEEKS WITH TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• In a bowl or jar, combine the vinegar, mustard and some salt and pepper. Whisk to combine, and then slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking. Set aside.
• Trim the roots off the leeks, leaving some of the root end intact so the leeks hold together. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse very well--they are usually pretty sandy and dirty.
• Add about 1 inch of water to a large pot over medium-high heat. Insert a steamer basket and set the leeks into the steamer. Cover and cook until softened and tender when the white end is pierced with a paring knife, about 5 minutes. Remove the leeks from the steamer, pat dry and transfer to a shallow dish. Brush with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
• Heat a grill pan or grill to medium-high heat. Add the leeks, cut-side down, and cook until grill marks form, about 3 minutes. Flip and repeat. Remove to a serving platter, drizzle over some of the vinaigrette and sprinkle with the hazelnuts.

ASPARAGUS WITH HAZELNUTS AND TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Pour water into large pot to depth of 1 inch and bring to boil. Place asparagus on steamer rack set over water in pot. Cover pot and steam until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus to bowl of ice water and cool. Drain. Place asparagus on paper towels. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Combine shallots, vinegar, tarragon and mustard in bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Place baby lettuces on large platter. Arrange asparagus atop lettuces. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with hazelnuts.

WARM ASPARAGUS WITH TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Put the mustard in a small bowl. Whisk in the vinegar, salt and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking constantly, until completely incorporated. Stir in the shallots and tarragon. Set aside for at least 15 minutes.
• Trim the asparagus, discarding woody ends. Steam, roast or grill the spears whole until just tender when pierced with a fork. Do not overcook.
• Arrange the still-warm asparagus on a warm serving plate, spoon the dressing over it and turn the asparagus gently to coat.

GARLIC-BREAD-AND-ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot 2/3 full of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until tender, 6 to 10 minutes. Drain and plunge the asparagus into a large bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain and set aside.
• In a large saute pan set over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the morels and continue to cook for 2 to 4 minutes until the mushrooms are tender (cook for 2 minutes if using dried). Add the wine and stock and simmer for 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove half of the mushrooms and set aside.
• Pour the remaining mushrooms and liquid into a blender and add the tarragon, parsley, tamari and vinegar. Process until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids; you should have about 2 cups liquid. Whisk in the ginseng and remaining oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set vinaigrette aside.
• Toast the bread slices until lightly browned and rub them with the garlic cloves. Place each slice in a shallow soup bowl and top with a few asparagus spears. Slice the remaining spears into half-inch pieces and toss with the reserved morels and 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette. Divide among the bowls. Pour the remaining vinaigrette around the toast and crumble one slice of goat cheese over each. Microwave each bowl on high for 30 seconds or until the cheese just melts. Garnish with chopped parsley and tarragon and serve immediately.

ASPARAGUS WITH SALSA VERDE AND SCARLET ONIONS

Steps:

• Separate sliced onion rings and toss with vinegar and a pinch of salt. Set aside in refrigerator.
• If asparagus spears are thick, peel stalks and cut off tough stem ends. If they are thin, snap off bottom of each stalk where it breaks easily and trim ends. Simmer asparagus with water to cover until bright green but still a little firm, about 3 minutes for thin spears, 5 minutes or longer for fat. They can be a bit underdone. Remove to a towel to dry; asparagus will finish cooking as it sits.
• Put parsley, tarragon and capers in a bowl. Finely dice half the orange zest, then dice half the pickled onion. Add diced zest and onion to bowl. Stir in oil, mustard, orange juice and vinegar to taste. Season with salt and pepper.
• Lay asparagus on a platter. Ladle sauce over stems and tips and finish with remaining slivered orange zest and pickled onion rings. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

ASPARAGUS WITH HAZELNUT VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Steam asparagus for 5 minutes until crisp tender.
• Mix shallots, vinegar, mustard, and oil.
• Pour over asparagus, top with toasted nuts.

ASPARAGUS WITH WARM TARRAGON-PECAN VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Break off and discard the tough bottom ends of the asparagus, then slice the stalks on the diagonal into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.
• Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small bowl and mix until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a large skillet. Add pecans, and sauté over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until they are fragrant and lightly toasted.
• Turn the heat to medium-high, and add the asparagus, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Stir-fry for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until the asparagus is just barely tender. (Thicker asparagus will take longer.).
• Add the vinegar mixture to the asparagus, stirring well. Cook over high heat for only about 30 seconds longer, then remove from heat.
• Stir in the tarragon, the remaining salt, and black pepper to taste. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

ASPARAGUS WITH HAZELNUT VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Make vinaigrette:
• In a bowl whisk together shallot, vinegar, mustard, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Add oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk until emulsified. Whisk in hazelnuts.
• Finely chop egg. In a deep 10- to 12-inch skillet bring 1 1/2 inches salted water to a boil and cook asparagus over high heat until crisp-tender, about 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus with tongs to a colander and drain.
• Transfer asparagus to a serving dish. Spoon vinaigrette over asparagus and sprinkle with egg. Serve asparagus warm or at room temperature.