Emily Hartwood This Mary Berry Asparagus with Quick Hollandaise is a luxurious and vibrant recipe, which calls for fresh asparagus spears and creamy unsalted butter. It’s an ideal brunch or starter, ready in about 15 minutes.
Mary Berry Asparagus with Quick Hollandaise Ingredients
- 625g (1¼ lb) asparagus
- Salt and black pepper
- Lemon twists, to garnish
Quick Hollandaise
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 4 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 150g (5 oz) unsalted butter, melted
How To Make Mary Berry Asparagus with Quick Hollandaise
- Prepare the asparagus: Cut any woody, white ends off the asparagus spears and discard them. (If you bend the spear near the base, it will naturally snap where the woody part ends).
- Cook the vegetable: Lay the spears flat in a shallow pan (like a sauté pan or frying pan) filled with salted boiling water. Simmer gently for 3–4 minutes until the asparagus is tender but still retains a firm bite.
- Warm the equipment: Meanwhile, prepare the blender for the sauce. Three-quarters fill a food processor or blender jug with hot water from the kettle and pulse briefly to warm the plastic or glass. Pour the water away and thoroughly dry the bowl. This warmth helps the sauce emulsify.
- Start the sauce base: Put the lemon juice and white wine vinegar into the warm bowl of the food processor or blender. Add the egg yolks. Pulse or process briefly to combine.
- Emulsify the hollandaise: With the machine running on a low speed, gradually pour in the hot melted butter in a thin, steady stream. Process until the mixture becomes thick, creamy, and pale yellow. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve: Drain the asparagus well. Ladle the hollandaise sauce onto warmed plates, arrange the hot asparagus on top, and garnish with lemon twists.
Recipe Tips
- The hot butter technique: The butter must be hot (bubbling slightly) when you pour it into the eggs. The heat from the butter effectively “cooks” the egg yolks and thickens the sauce instantly, eliminating the need for a bain-marie.
- Warming the bowl: Do not skip warming the blender bowl. If the cold eggs hit a cold glass jug, they might not emulsify properly with the butter. The residual heat creates the perfect environment for the sauce to set.
- Room temperature eggs: Cold eggs are the enemy of emulsion. Ensure your egg yolks are at room temperature so they blend smoothly with the hot butter without seizing.
- Sauce consistency: If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it down with a teaspoon of warm water. If it is too thin, you may have added the butter too quickly; unfortunately, it’s hard to fix in a blender, but it will still taste delicious.
What To Serve With Mary Berry Asparagus with Quick Hollandaise
This classic pairing creates a sophisticated plate that works for breakfast or dinner.
- Poached Eggs: Turns this into a vegetarian Benedict.
- Smoked Salmon: A classic brunch trio.
- Steak: Asparagus with hollandaise is the ultimate steakhouse side.
- Crusty Bread: Essential for mopping up the leftover sauce.
How To Store Mary Berry Asparagus with Quick Hollandaise
- Refrigerate: Hollandaise sauce is notoriously difficult to store. It is best eaten immediately. If you must, keep it in a thermos flask to keep it warm for up to an hour. Refrigerated hollandaise solidifies into butter and often splits when reheated.
- Freeze: Do not freeze hollandaise sauce. The emulsion will break completely.
Mary Berry Asparagus with Quick Hollandaise Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 384kcal
- Protein: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fat: 39g
- Saturates: 23g
- Sugar: 2g
- Salt: 0.1g
Nutrition information is estimated per serving (based on 4 servings).
FAQs
Can I use a stick blender?
Yes, this method works brilliantly with a stick (immersion) blender. Place the yolks, vinegar, and lemon in a tall jug, then slowly stream in the hot butter while blending.
Why did my sauce split?
Sauces usually split if the butter is added too fast. It must be a thin, steady stream to allow the eggs to absorb the fat.
Is it safe to eat?
The hot butter partially cooks the yolks, but they are not fully pasteurized like a hard-boiled egg. Use fresh, high-quality eggs (Lion stamped in the UK) if serving to vulnerable individuals.
Try More Recipes:
- Mary Berry Asparagus and Quails’ Egg Salad Recipe
- Mary Berry Asparagus Soup Recipe
- Mary Berry Salmon and Prawn Filo Purses Recipe
Mary Berry Asparagus with Quick Hollandaise Recipe
Course: AppetizersCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: EasyServings
4
servingsPrep time
10
minutesCooking time
5
minutesCalories
384
kcalA foolproof method for making rich, buttery hollandaise sauce in a blender, served over perfectly tender asparagus spears.
Ingredients
625g asparagus
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 egg yolks
150g unsalted butter, melted
Salt and pepper
Directions
- Trim asparagus and boil in salted water for 3–4 minutes.
- Warm blender jug with hot water, then dry.
- Blend lemon juice, vinegar, and egg yolks briefly.
- Stream in hot melted butter while blending until thickened.
- Season to taste.
- Drain asparagus and serve topped with sauce.
Notes
- Warming the blender jug is a clever trick that helps maintain the temperature of the sauce, ensuring the butter doesn’t solidify on contact with the cold glass.
- Pouring the butter in a slow, steady stream is the most critical part of this recipe; rushing this step will result in a separated, oily mixture rather than a thick sauce.
- This blender method is significantly faster and less prone to curdling than the traditional method of whisking egg yolks over a pan of simmering water.
