Asparagus with Sauce Bâtarde and Dried Olives
Sauce bâtarde is kind of a ‘cheat’s’ hollandaise – butter-based and quite stable so you can make it in advance and then bring it back to heat without it splitting (something the more sensitive and dramatic hollandaise won’t allow you to do). The salty, crisp, dried olive element here is non-negotiable. You could use the dried olive to season a roast chicken, or even to season a resting steak. Try sauce bâtarde on poached eggs, grilled beans or roast pork.
Ingredients 12
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
16 asparagus spear, trimmed
1⁄2 lemon, juiced
salt, to season
Sauce
2 tbsp thick cream, double/heavy
3 egg yolks
Pinch salt
175 g unsalted butter
175 g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
225 ml hot water, boiled and left for 5 minutes to cool
1⁄2 lemon, zest and juice, separated
Dried Olives
250 ml water
220 g white sugar
250 g black olives, your favourite, drained, rinsed, pitted
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Method 9
To Make The Sauce
Whisk together the and with a pinch of .
Add to a saucepan over a medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the , then the hot .
Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the egg and cream mixture, followed by the , and whisk briefly to combine. Leave the sauce in a warm spot until ready to use.
To Make The Olives
Preheat the oven to 100°C (215°F). Place the and in a saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer until sugar has dissolved.
In two batches, add and cook for about 2 minutes until blanched, removing with a slotted spoon. Discard the cooking syrup.
Increase the oven temperature to 120°C (250°F).
Place the blanched on a baking tray lined with baking paper, and place in the oven for about 4 hours or until olives are dry. If after 4 hours they still feel a little wet, keep cooking them for another 45 minutes to an hour. Once they are dried, they will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
To Cook The Asparagus And Serve
Heat in a large frying pan over a high heat and cook the , turning every 10 seconds, until it is charred around the outside. Remove from the heat and season with . Gently warm the sauce in a small saucepan. In a mortar and pestle, crush the dried olives to a rough crumb.
Arrange the on a serving plate, spoon over the sauce and finish with a spoonful of the crushed dried olive sprinkled over the top.
