Elegant steamed asparagus served with a Hollandaise butter sauce. Perfect for Mothers Day or a special breakfast, or a side for a special dinner!
The best thing about knowing how to make an easy blender hollandaise sauce is that once you get the hang of it, you can make the most simple of vegetables into something quite elegant.
Case in point, these steamed asparagus!
I like asparagus any which way, but drizzle a little (or more than a little) hollandaise over them? Oh my.
Steamed Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce Recipe
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cook time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of asparagus (about 1 lb)
- 10 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick plus 2 Tbsp)
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (skip if using salted butter)
- Pinch of cayenne
Method
1 Prep the asparagus: Break off the tough ends with your fingers. Bend the asparagus spears near the end and they will break naturally where the spear is no longer tough.
For an elegant presentation of the spears, use a vegetable peeler to peel off a very thin layer of the outer skin of the lower two to three inches of the asparagus spears.
Prepare a large, shallow pan (with a cover) with a half inch of water and a steamer rack.
2 Prepare the Hollandaise sauce: Melt the butter in a small pot. Put the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne into a blender.
Blend the eggs for 20-30 seconds at medium to medium high speed until lighter in color.
Turn blender down to lowest setting and slowly drizzle in the hot melted butter while the blender is going. Continue to blend for a few seconds after all of the butter is incorporated.
Taste the sauce and add more salt or lemon juice if needed. Keep warm while you are steaming the asparagus.
3 Steam the asparagus: Bring the water in your steaming pan to a boil. Place the asparagus on the steaming rack. Cover.
Steam for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender, but still a little crisp, definitely not mushy. The timing depends on how thick the asparagus spears are.
4 Serve: To serve, plate the asparagus. Pour Hollandaise sauce over them.
Links:
Easy Blender Hollandaise here on Simply Recipes
Asparagus Mimosa – asparagus with grated hard boiled eggs and capers here on Simply Recipes
Classic Hollandaise Sauce – from Michael Ruhlman, if you are interested in the traditional way to make Hollandaise.
