Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

This dish brings back lots of nostalgic memories for me. During my childhood, my Mom would make this dish often with her quick version of hollandaise sauce made with mayo, mustard and lemon juice. The highlight for me was dipping the asparagus in that rich and creamy sauce! I hope you get in the kitchen with your friends and family and make this dish together.

Ingredients for Asparagus

1 pound of asparagus (around 14-18 spears)
Crispy shallots for topping
Kosher salt for topping

Ingredients for Hollandaise Sauce

9 oz of clarified butter or 2 ¼ sticks of unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
1 ½ tablespoon of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of water
¼ teaspoon of Kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Directions for Asparagus

1. Remove the tough stem from the asparagus (snap off the bottom end by bending it until it breaks or use a knife to cut off 1 inch from the bottom)
2. In a large skillet with 1 inch of water, place a steamer basket inside. Add asparagus.
3. Cover and let steam until asparagus are tender, about 1- 1½ minutes.
4. Transfer to a serving dish and add salt.

Directions for Hollandaise Sauce

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter until bubbling. Reduce heat to low and keep warm while working on the egg mixture. You want the butter to be around 140 F. If it’s too hot, the sauce will separate and become too thin.
2. Add egg yolks, lemon juice, water, salt and cayenne pepper to the blender. Blend for about 15 seconds to combine all the ingredients.
3. With the blender on slow speed, slowly drizzle the melted butter until the sauce is thickened and light in color. It should coat the back of the spoon. If it’s too thick, add a teaspoon of warm water to thin it out.
4. Season with salt to taste.
5. Pour the hollandaise over the asparagus and top with crispy shallots. Enjoy!