Alisons Lemon Dip W Asparagus Spears Food

ASPARAGUS WITH DIPPING SAUCES

Steps:

• To make the Parmesan butter, tip the lemon juice into a small saucepan and, over a very low heat, add the butter. Melt and stir the butter into the lemon juice until you have a smooth sauce, add the Parmesan and season to taste, then set aside.
• To make the Asian dressing, using a pestle and mortar, crush the chilli with the brown sugar, then stir in the lime juice until the sugar has dissolved. Stir through the soy sauce and sesame oil, then set aside.
• For the garlic mayonnaise, mix all the ingredients together. Decant the sauces into 3 serving dishes.
• Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the asparagus for 2-3 mins until just tender. Drain well and serve steaming hot in a pile for everyone to help themselves and dip into the sauce of their choice.

ASPARAGUS AND GREEN BEANS WITH TARRAGON LEMON DIP

Steps:

• Cook asparagus spears and green beans in 1-inch of salted boiling water, covered, for 3 or 4 minutes. Drain and cool the vegetables and arrange them on a serving plate. Combine the dip ingredients in a small bowl and garnish with sprigs of parsley and tarragon and set dip along side vegetables on serving dish.

ASPARAGUS WITH GARLIC DIP

Steps:

• Trim 3 bunches asparagus; peel the bottoms. Boil until tender, 4 to 5 minutes; drain and cool. Peel the cloves from 4 heads garlic and cook in 1/2 cup olive oil over low heat until soft, 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the oil. Puree the garlic with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon mayonnaise, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard and 1/4 cup water. Blend in 1/4 cup of the garlic oil. Season with salt, pepper and chopped chives; serve with the asparagus.

BATTER FRIED ASPARAGUS WITH HERB OR LEMON DIPPING SAUCES

Steps:

• After cutting off the tough stems of the asparagus, wash well and pat dry with paper towels.
• Place oven rack in the middle position; preheat oven to 200°F
• In a bowl wide enough to easily batter-coat the spears, add the flour, egg, wine, lemon zest, onion powder, celery salt, Kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Whisk together until well blended; batter should be on the thickish side. Let sit at least one (1) hour.
• For the dipping sauces:.
• HERB: Mix all of the herbs with the mayonnaise, season to taste. Chill, covered, until ready to serve.
• LEMON: Stir together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Chill, covered, until ready to serve
• Blanch the asparagus spears in boiling water. Drain, immediately run VERY cold water over them; blot dry on paper towels and set aside.
• Heat 3 inches oil in a 3 to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until it registers 375°F on a deep-fat thermometer. (COOK'S TIP: Remember to return the oil to 375°F between batches of asparagus.).
• Dip the asparagus spears ONE-AT-A-TIME in the batter - Coat completely. Gently lower the spear into the hot oil. Repeat with remaining asparagus spears, but DO NOT CROWD. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, turning with a slotted spoon until lighlty golden.
• Remove each asparagus spear with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined baking sheet; if desired, sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt. Keep warm in the pre-heated oven for up to 20 minutes.
• Serve warm with one or both of the dipping sauces.

ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON-CAPER DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix together the mayo, sour cream, oil, capers, juice, thyme, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Trim asparagus and place in a shollow baking dish.
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
• Roast at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until desired degree of doneness.
• Serve asparagus with sauce on the side.

GRILLED ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON DRESSING

Steps:

• Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus; most spears will break naturally an inch or two above the bottom. Peel the stalks up to the flower bud. Meanwhile, start a grill or preheat a cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it smokes.
• To grill the asparagus, toss them with about 1 tablespoon of the oil, mixing with your hands until they're coated. Season well with salt and pepper to taste. Grill until tender and browned in spots, turning once or twice, a total of 5 to 10 minutes.
• To pan-grill the asparagus, do not oil or season them. Just toss them in the hot skillet and cook, turning the individual spears as they brown, until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove as they finish and season with salt and pepper.
• Mix together the lemon juice and shallot, then stir in enough olive oil to add a little body and take the edge off the sharpness of the lemon; the mixture should still be quite strong. Season it with salt and plenty of black pepper and stir in the parsley. Serve the asparagus hot or at room temperature with grilled or broiled swordfish, monkfish, or other sturdy fish. Spoon the sauce over all.
• You could serve these grilled asparagus with any of the vinaigrettes on page 304 in lieu of the lemon-shallot-parsley mixture here. If you were serving them as part of an Asian-themed meal, you might swap out the dressing in this recipe for Soy-Ginger Dressing: Combine 1/4 cup soy sauce with 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons rice or other mild vinegar, and a few drops of sesame oil. Serve over the asparagus.

BUTTER-FRIED ASPARAGUS WITH BLACK OLIVE & LEMON MAYONNAISE

Steps:

• First, make the mayonnaise. In a food processor, add the whole olives, egg yolks, vinegar, mustard and anchovy, and blend until you have a smooth paste. Slowly add the oil until it becomes thick and glossy. To finish, stir through the chopped olives, lemon juice and cayenne pepper.
• Next, in a pan over a low heat, warm the clarified butter until it melts. Put the flour, beaten eggs and brioche crumbs into three separate bowls. Dip the asparagus stem into the flour, leaving the tip uncovered, then dip it into the beaten egg and finally into the brioche crumbs. Repeat for each spear.
• Turn up the heat until the melted butter is hot. Add four spears of asparagus and fry for 1 min or so - it will cook quickly. Use a slotted spoon to lift them onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining spears. After each batch comes out of the butter, grate over the Parmesan. Serve with the mayo.

ASPARAGUS FRIES WITH SOUR CREAM AND CHIVE DIP

Steps:

• For the sour cream and chive dip: Whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, chives, garlic, lemon zest and juice and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a medium bowl. You can make this up to 2 days before as it gets better tasting with time.
• For the asparagus tempura: Fill a 9- to 11-inch saucepan, large pot or large Dutch oven with about 4 inches of oil. Heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 350 to 360 degrees F. Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.
• Whisk the flour, cornstarch and baking soda together in a large bowl. Transfer half of the of the flour mixture to a second large bowl. Keep the club soda nearby, but don't make the batter until you're ready to fry.
• Create an assembly line from left to right: the asparagus, one bowl of flour mixture for dredging and the second bowl of flour mixture that will become your tempura batter.
• When you're ready to fry, stir the club soda into the second bowl of flour.
• To fry, use your fingers to dip 2 to 3 asparagus spears into the dredging flour, shake off the excess, then dip in the batter. Lay or slide the coated asparagus into the hot oil and deep-fry until golden, about 3 minutes, turning it in the oil for even cooking. Lift the cooked asparagus with tongs or a spider and let excess oil drip back into the pan before transferring to the prepared wire rack. Skim the surface of the oil occasionally to keep it clean and to fish out stray crispy tempura bits.
• Bring the oil back to 350 to 360 degrees F between batches. Stir the batter to keep it from separating, then repeat with the remaining asparagus. Serve the fries immediately with the dip.

ASPARAGUS WITH DIPPING SAUCES

Steps:

• To make the Parmesan butter, tip the lemon juice into a small saucepan and, over a very low heat, add the butter. Melt and stir the butter into the lemon juice until you have a smooth sauce, add the Parmesan and season to taste, then set aside.
• To make the Asian dressing, using a pestle and mortar, crush the chili with the brown sugar, then stir in the lime juice until the sugar has dissolved. Stir through the soy sauce and sesame oil, then set aside.
• For the garlic mayonnaise, mix all the ingredients together. Decant the sauces into 3 serving dishes.
• Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the asparagus for 2-3 mins until just tender. Drain well and serve steaming hot in a pile for everyone to help themselves and dip into the sauce of their choice.

ASPARAGUS WITH HORSERADISH DIP

Steps:

• Place asparagus in a steamer basket; place in a large saucepan over 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam until crisp-tender, 2-4 minutes. Drain and immediately place in ice water. Drain and pat dry., In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Serve with asparagus.

ASPARAGUS WITH WASABI-MAYONNAISE DIP

Steps:

• Blanch asparagus in 2 batches in a large saucepan of boiling salted water 1 minute. Transfer to a colander and rinse under cold running water to stop cooking. Drain well and pat dry.
• Whisk together mayonnaise, soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, and wasabi paste until sugar is dissolved.
• Serve asparagus with dip.

ALISON'S LEMON DIP W/ ASPARAGUS SPEARS

Steps:

• Needs at least 2 hours chilling Just blanch the asparagus and put in iced water asap