ASPARAGUS TIPS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22717, 1 November 1935, Page 17

ASPARAGUS TIPS

The subtle flavour of fresh asparagus, well cooked and served very hot with plenty of melted butter, cannot perhaps be ininrqyed upon, but many people prefer to have asparagus dressed up in some way for a special occasion meal in the spring (says an exchange). The following suggestions for serving asparagus will be found quite simple to carry out, and are not too elaborate for those preferring asparagus plain. In many country districts people grow their own asparagus, but where fresh asparagus is. not available, the tinned variety may be used in its place. When cooking fresh asparagus, it is as well, if there is very much difference in size or thickness of the tips, to sort them out and bunch the same size tips together, and for the extra fat ones, allow, perhaps, a little' longer cooking. To ensure that the tender heads are not cooked before the tougher stalks, stand the bunched asparagus stalk ends down in the water, with the tips out of the water, till the stalks are parboiled; then the whole may be submerged,in the water till quite tender. Drain well, no matter' how the asparagus ig to be served. Nothing could be worse than asparagus tips served ,iu a wat'ery sauce. Have the asparagus well cooked, drained, and quite hot, and serve either on toast or without, as preferred, with any of the following sauces:— Brown Butter Sauce.—Melt a generous amount of butter in a small saucepan, heating until just a golden brown, but not caught. Season with a very little vinegar, and pour over the asparagus. Parsley Butter.—Cream three tablespoons of butter thoroughly, adding a dash of pepper and two teaspoons of finely chopped parsley. Put a small piece of the parsley butter on top of each serve of asparagus. Maitre D'Hotel Butter.—Cream three tablespoons of butter with quarter of a teaspoon of mustard, a dash of pepper, one teaspoon of lemon juice, and two teaspoons of finely chopped parsley. Serve a small portion on top of the hot asparagus. Mock Hollandaise Sauce.—Make one cup of not too thick white sauce. Pour the sauce, while quite hot, over the beaten yolks of two eggs, and add two ounces of butter, three tablespoons, of lemon juice, and a little salt to season. Serve with hot asparagus. Cheese Sauce.—To each cup of hot white sauce add one-third of a cup of grated cheese. Heat together for several minutes and serve.with the asparagus. HOT ASPARAGUS PUFFS. Choux Pastry.—Half a pine of water, five ounces plain flour, two ounces butter, three eggs. "-" . Put butter and water on to boil in a medium-sized saucepan, and when boiling stir in the flour. Stir till the mixture leaves the sides of the saucepan, then remove from the fire and ajlow to cool slightly. Then beat in, one at a time, the three eggs. Have ready a cold greased oven slide, and place the mixture on it in teaspoonfuls. Bake in a hot oven for 35 to 45 minutes. When cooked, split across, and remove any soft dough in the middle. Fill with the following mixture and serve hot. The choux pastry cases can be prepared before required and heated in the oven with the filling in them. Asparagus Filling.—One' tablespoon butter, one tablespoon flour, one cup chopped cooked asparagus, three-quarters of a cup of milk, two tablespoons cream, pinch salt, and cayenne pepper. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook three minutes, then add the milk, stirring all the time. Stir till the sauce thickens, then season and add the asparagus and fold in the cream. Fill the choux pastry cases with this mixture, and serve hot. ASPARAGUS PATTIES. Use the filling given for asparagus puffs and serve in puff pastry cases instead of the choux pastry cases. COLD ASPARAGUS PUFFS. Choux pastry cases, 1£ cups cooked asparagua (chopped), J cup creamy mayonaise, 2 tablespoons cream, few drops of vinegar, dash cayenne pepper. Combine all the ingredients together, seasoning with cayenne pepper and a few diops of vinegar. Fill the puff cases with this mixture and serve cold. ASPARAGUS BOATS. Asparagus boats may be served either hot or cold, and the mixtures given for hot and cold asparagus puffs are suitable for filling the pastry boat cases. ASPARAGUS FINGERS. Cooked asparagus tips, 1 egg, 2 table spoons plain flour, pepper and salt, fun' dried breadcrumbs, deep fat for fryin;?. parsley springs. . Season the flour with a little, pepper and salt, and dip each well drained asparagus tip in the flour. Have the egg slightly beaten, roll the floured tips in the egg and then in the fine rolled breadcrumbs. Have the fat quite hot (a blue smoke should rise from it), and deep fry the crumbed tips in a frying basket. Do not cook for more than a few minutes to heat tips through and brown crumbs a light golden brown. Serve at once, garnished with parsley, and, if liked, sprinkle With grated cheese. CREAMED ASPARAGUS AND EGGS. Cook one bunch of asparagus till tender, and drain well, retaining I cup of the asparagus liquid. Hard boil six eggs and cut into halves lengthwise, and place ir. a buttered fireproof dish with the chopped asparagus. Make a rich sauce, using 2 tablespoons butter, U tablespoons flour, I cup asparagus liquid. 3 cup of milk, and one tablespoon of cream. Pour the sauce over the eggs and asparagus, and cover with breadcrumbs. Dot with small pieces of butter, and bake in a moderate oven till brown and heated through. Serve hot.