Hollandaise: faster than a speeding bullet

How does that look for a springtime dish? It’s the kind of thing that is better than anything else when asparagus is in season near to you. Like most things, miles traveled and the time it takes means something with asparagus, and ours locally has just come in season. There’s almost nothing you can do to screw it up except overcook it.

There are lots of ways I like it and will eat it over the next few weeks, but my first time I like to eat it with Hollandaise. Let it be said that I do know how to make Hollandaise in the classic haute cuisine manner, but in my life there is also room for the quick and dirty if it tastes really good and doesn’t poison you. This tastes really good and is fast and easy. While it may contain more butter than your mother would like you to eat, when it comes to asparagus a lot of butter is pretty much going to happen unless you make a salad or something Asian, so what the heck?

Fast and easy Hollandaise

Use a double boiler or a metal bowl over simmering water in a sauce pan.

juice of one lemon
one egg
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 ounces/113 g butter cut in pieces.
pinch cayenne pepper or dash of Tabasco

Just put all that into the appropriate vessel and start whisking it, paying attention to the edges, where the cooking will start. At first it seems like nothing is happening, but then it starts to coat the vessel. Whisk continuously. As you see evidence that it is thickening, use a teaspoon to gather a drop and taste for salt. Correct that. When the whisk starts to leave tracks, remove from the heat source, ergo lift the bowl or upper part off the hot water. Serve hot or warm with asparagus or a legion of other dishes.

Once you get this into your head, you’ll be able to do it without even paying attention. It’s exactly the same as making lemon curd, except it doesn’t need to be chilled. Refrigerate any leftovers, and I believe you can reheat it in a microwave on low power, but I have no way to check that.

I remember eggs benedict.

Saturday, when I shopped for groceries, there was a sale on speck, which is Italian smoked ham from the Alps. I’d forgotten how delicious it is. It’s not quite like any other ham I’ve ever tasted, and nothing like prosciutto crudo except in looks. You could easily mistake one for the other. I found that its nutty, slightly smoky flavor made spring jump in through my kitchen window, just like that brilliant sun. Need I tell you how glad I am for that sun? We’ve had four small earth tremors this week, but not a single volcano eruption. That is good. So is asparagus.

Salsa Olandesa

succo di un limone
1 uovo
1/2 cucchiaino sale (e poi qb)
pizzico peperoncino in polvere
113 g burro a pezzi

In un bagno maria mettete tutto. Con la frusta mescolate in continuo, fate attenzione particulare ai bordi, dove cuoche prima. Quando inizia la cottura, assaggiate e correggiate il sale. Quando la frusta lascia tracce, togliete la salsa dalla fonte di calore. Servitela calda o tiepida. La Salsa Olandesa è una salsa madre della cucina alta, ma questa versione è più veloce che quella classica. Vi serve per gli asparagi ed anche altre verdure.