Asparagus Custards with Canadian
Bacon and Maltaise Sauce
The Best of Gourmet, Volume 1
from the Editors of Gourmet, 1986,
Condé Nast Books, Random House

3 pounds asparagus, trimmed and peeled
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
3 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
6 thin slices (about 3 ounces) of Canadian bacon
Thin orange slices for garnish
1 1/2 cups Maltaise Sauce (recipe follows)

Cut off the asparagus tips, reserving the stems, and in a saucepan of boiling salted water blanch them for 3 minutes. Drain the tips, refresh them in a
large bowl of ice water, and drain them again. The asparagus tips may be blanched 1 day in advance and kept in a bowl covered and chilled.
In a saucepan combine the served asparagus stems, chopped coarse, the onion, and the stock, bring the stock to a boil, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 15 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender. Cook the mix-
ture, uncovered, over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, for 20
minutes, or until almost all the liquid is evaporated. (There will be about
2 cups of the mixture.)
In a food processor or blender purée the asparagus mixture until it
is smooth.
In a bowl stir together the purée, the milk, the eggs, the lemon juice, and
salt and pepper to taste, and divide the custard among 6 well-buttered 1/2-
cup ramekins. Line a baking pan just large enough to hold the ramekins
snugly with a kitchen towel for insulation. Arrange the ramekins in the
towel, add enough hot water to the pan to come just halfway up the sides
of the ramekins, and bake the custards in the middle of a preheated 325-degree F. oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the ramekins from the pan and let them
cool for 10 minutes. The custards may be made 1 day in advance, kept in
the ramekins, covered and chilled, and reheated in a preheated 325-degree
F. oven for 20 minutes, or until they are heated through.
Bake the bacon in one layer on a baking sheet in a preheated 325-degree F. oven for 15 minutes, or until it is heated through. Run a thin knife around
the edge of each ramekin to loosen the custard, and on a small plate, invert the custards onto the bacon (the bacon base will make it easier to transfer
the custards). Transfer the custards and bacon with a metal spatula to a heated platter and garnish the top of each custard with 2 small asparagus
tips and a small triangular piece of orange slice. Garnish the platter with
the orange slices and the remaining asparagus tips and serve the custards
with the Maltaise Sauce.  Serves 6.

Maltaise Sauce
(Orange-flavored Hollandaise)

1 orange (preferably a blood orange, available
seasonally at produce markets)
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground white pepper to taste
3 large egg yolks, beaten lightly
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter at room
temperature, cut into 12 pieces

Blanch the whole orange in a saucepan of boiling water for 3 minutes,
drain it, and let it cool. Grate fine the rind and squeeze the orange to extract
2 tablespoons of the juice, reserving the remaining juice for another use.
In a small heavy stainless steel or enameled saucepan combine the vinegar,
2 tablespoons water, the salt, and the pepper and reduce the liquid over moderately high heat to about 2 tablespoons. Remove the pan from the
heat and add 1 tablespoon cold water. Add the egg yolks, cook the mixture over very low heat, whisking, until it is thick, and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, over low heat, lifting the pan occasionally to coo the mixture and making certain that each piece is melted before adding the next. Cook
the sauce, whisking, until it is thick and add the grated rind and the juice.
The sauce may be kept warm for 1 hour, covered with a buttered round
of wax paper, set in a pan of warm water. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Featured Archive Recipes:
Asparagus: The Royal Vegetable
Asparagus and Baby Leeks
Asparagus Clafoutis (Daniel Boulud)
Mimi Sheraton's Kaiserspargel
(Imperial Asparagus)
 

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