Asparagus with Hungry Bearnaise Sauce
My brother Ted taught me how to make this bearnaise sauce years ago and it is still a favorite of mine!
ingredients:
one or two bunches of fresh asparagus-steamed until cooked to desired tenderness
a few Tablespoons of vinegar
a Tablespoon of dried tarragon leaves
one stick of butter
three large eggs
Toast
Cover the bottom of a small sauce pan with the dried tarragon leaves, cover the leaves with vinegar and warm until the vinegar is almost all evaporated.
While the vinegar/tarragon mixture is reducing, place one stick of butter in another small sauce pan and melt until the butter separates. Remove the white froth and set aside the clarified butter.
Put a few inches of water into a sauce pan and set it to simmer
Separate 3 eggs, and place the yolks into a stainless steel bowl that fits in/over the pan of simmering water.
Whisk the eggs with 1/2 Tablespoon of water and then, holding the bowl over the simmering water, continuously whisk the eggs until you start to see "tracks". Slowly add the clarified butter by spoonfuls, whisking vigorously. As soon as all of the the butter is all added to the eggs, remove the mixture from the heat and toss in the tarragon reduction
.
Place the cooked asparagus on the toast and then top with the sauce. Season with Tabasco or similar if desired. Enjoy!
