Asparagus is in

Southland Times, Issue 22731, 6 November 1935, Page 5

Asparagus is in

The subtle flavour of fresh asparagus well cooked and served very hot with plenty of melted butter cannot perhaps be improved upon. The following recipes, however, will provide changes for special occasions and for those who like something new.'

Asparagus With Sauce. 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 is to be served. Nothing could be worse than asparagus tips served in a watery sauce. Have the asparagus well cooked, drained, and quite hot, and serve either on toast or without, as pref er ted, 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 chooped 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 ot 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 ot grated cheese. Heat, together for several minutes and serve with the asparagus. Hot Asparagus Puffs.

Choux Pastry.—Half a pint of water, five ounces plain flour, two ounces butter, three eggs. Put butter and water on to boil m 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 allow 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 teaspooniuls. 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-quai-ters 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, 11 cups cooked asparagus (chopped), 1 cup creamy mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons cream, few drops of vinegar, dash cayenne pepper. Combine all the ingredients together, seasoning with cayenne pepper and a few drops 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, fine dried breadcrumbs, deep fat for frying, parsley sprigs. 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 $ cup of the asparagus liquid. Hard boil six eggs and cut into halves lengthwise, and place in a buttered fireproof dish with the chopped asparagus. Make a rich sauce, using 2 tablespoons butter, Ij tablespoons flour, -J 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.

Dutch Asparagus. Take one bunch asparagus, loz butter, one tablespoon cream, salt, pepper, a little nutmeg, two eggs and rounds of fried bread. Cook the asparagus plainly, then chop up the tender stalk part, reserving the tips. Put the chopped stalk in a saucepan, add cream, salt and pepper, and a dust of nutmeg. Stir till hot, then add the sieved yolk of the hard-boiled egg. Pile the mixture on the rounds of bread, leaving the edges clear, arrange on a dish, and garnish the tops alternately with sieved yolk and chopped white of egg, and chopped parsley, on the edges only. In the middle put a little pile of tips, and serve garnished with fried parsley.

Moulded Ring Asparagus. Take one pint aspic jelly, one bunch of cooked asparagus, or one large tin asparagus tips, mayonnaise, one lettuce heart, cooked chicken, ham, or tongue, tomatoes. If aspic jelly is not available use the liquid from the asparagus, slightly seasoned, and stiffened with powdered leaf gelatine. Chop the asparagus, or arrange the tips in a mould rinsed with cold water, and pour the slightly cooled jelly over the asparagus. Allow to set, and when ready to serve unmould on to a dish on which lettuce leaves have been arranged. Fill the centre of the mould with chopped chicken, ham, tongue, flaked salmon, or other cold meat or fish mixed with a little mayonnaise. Arrange slices of tomatoes round the outer edge of the mould and serve quite cold. This is a delicious dish for a special luncheon.