Ingredients
Serves 8
2 bunches of asparagus (20-24 spears)
2 eggs
½ cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine or sherry vinegar
2 tsp mustard
¼ tsp salt
3 tbsp roughly chopped capers
4 tsp chopped finely shallots
½ a bunch of parsley chopped finely (about 15 branches)
Preparation
1- Start by hard boiling your eggs. Gently lower your eggs into boiling water. Lower your heat to a soft boil so that your eggs don’t crack and soft boil for 3 minutes. Cut the heat and let them sit for 15 minutes in the water. Your yolks should turn out nice and yellow.
2- Prepare your asparagus by holding each end and bending the spear until it breaks at its natural breaking point. Straighten off the end by cutting the tiniest bit. If they are thick asparagus like you find in France, I recommend peeling their skins. Peeling the skin will take your spears to the next level. To do this, start peeling right under the asparagus head. This will add on about 10 minutes of prep time.
3- Fill a large soup pot about half way with water and bring to a boil. Salt generously as you would pasta. Your asparagus will not be in long so this is the time to infuse them with salt. Before adding your asparagus to the boiling water, prepare an ice bath to stop to cooking process once done (see photo below.)
4- Mindfully lower your asparagus into the boiling water. Allow them to cook for about 4 minutes and then start checking them with the tip of a sharp knife. You want a touch of resistance. This can take 4-8 minutes depending on the thickness of your spears.
5- Once cooked, transfer them to their ice bath and to stop the cooking process and then to a clean towel to pat them dry. If you are assembling them now, you can slice them down the middle lengthwise and put them aside.
* If you are making these ahead of time, store them in a tupperware in the fridge.
6- Prepare your vinaigrette by measuring out your red wine vinegar, olive oil, mustard and salt. Whisk this together and add in your finely chopped shallots, chopped capers and finely chopped parsley. Add them into the vinaigrette, mix it up, taste and adjust.
*If you are making your vinaigrette ahead of time, omit the parsley and add it in day of.
7- Chop up and add your egg to your vinaigrette. I like to do a rough chop and aim for smaller pieces.
6- Start to assemble your dish by putting a layer of asparagus in your serving platter and then slathering on about ⅓ of your vinaigrette. I like to spread it around so that the asparagus are covered. Keep layering your spears and adding vinaigrette until it’s all assembled and you are ready to serve. Enjoy!
Step 1
Gather all ingredients. Asparagus, eggs, olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, salt, capers, shallots and parsley, eggs.
The natural break of the asparagus seems so wasteful but the lower end of the stem is woody, tough and unpleasant to eat.
Trim the bottom of the asparagus leaving a clean cut.
If you peel your asparagus spears you can start just under the head.
Prepare your ice bath, peeled asparagus, and a slotted spoon to lower the asparagus and fish them out.
I use about 2 tbsp big grey sea salt in my soup pot of boiling water that I have filled only half way up to just cover my asparagus.
When you first add in your asparagus the temperature of the water will go down and it will take a minute or two to come back to a boil.
Transfer the asparagus to your ice bath once they are cooked to your liking. This will halt the cooking process so they won't overcook and become soggy and limp!
Whether you are using them now or storing them in the fridge for a later time, pat them dry with a clean towel.
When placing in a tupperware do your best to keep them flat. You can alternate directions.
Finely chopping up your shallots.
Any leftover shallots, I toss them into my "garbage" freezer bag for broth at a later time.
Roughly chop up your capers in order to disperse the flavor more
First add in your olive oil, vinegar, mustard and salt. Mix that up and then add in the shallots.
I like to finely chop up the parsley
For my eggs I start by slicing them.
Then I chop it up best I can. I like a rustic chop.
Add them into your vinaigrette. You may need to add in some olive oil. In this case it definitely needs olive oil in order for it to spread on the asparagus.
I slice my asparagus lengthwise for visual purposes plus doubling your batch is an added bonus!
Layer a first round of asparagus and vinaigrette. You most likely will have to spread the vinaigrette around.
Repeat the layering process until everything is in the serving plate and you're ready to go!
These are best assembled last minute but this is not always realistic. Don't be afraid to assemble before guests arrive and then turn your asparagus mindfully to recoat them with the vinaigrette.
My friend Anouk made David Lebovitz’s Asparagus Mimosa for Easter lunch one year and we all loved them. This dish intimidated me for several years because it looks complicated to make but it turns out that it’s quite manageable.
This is a great dish to divvy up the steps by cooking your asparagus and eggs a few days early and making your vinaigrette the day before you serve. David’s original recipe is here if you’d like to have a peek. I have slightly adjusted the recipe to suit my palate by making more vinaigrette and slicing the asparagus down the enter in order t have more vinaigrette
Enjoy!
