A recipe inspired by Chef Grant Achatz
Asparagus 4-ways
How often do you gaze at one of those beautiful cookbooks by Michelin-starred chefs, and sigh before bemoaning the impossibility of it all? Such sophisticated tomes sport eye-catching hardback covers and feature intricate, multi-section recipes. Techniques like sous vide are commonplace, and under 'equipment needed' are extensive lists that include a dehydrator, Thermomix, and Pacojet. Oh, and let’s not forget the esoteric ingredients such as Trimoline and isomalt. Yep, those ones. Anyway, who has actually got the time to make asparagus coulis, preserved lemons from scratch, or garlic chips gently sautéed in milk and dehydrated for hours until they reach a perfectly crisp texture?
Certainly, with these types of cookbooks, there might be the occasional moment when one flips through the pages with awe, but they're often more admired than read, serving as elegant coffee table decor. In fact, although I’m generally incapable of maintaining a passive relationship with a cookbook (mine quickly end up sauce-stained, ripped, and heavily annotated) these particular volumes would, until recently, remain pristine almost in honor of the excellence held within.
And then things changed.
In a bid to discover my voice in food and develop my food vocabulary, I challenged myself to follow a home culinary school program guided by Escoffier's Le Guide Culinaire (if you're new, catch up here). Occasionally finding the journey a little dry, I decided to spice things up a bit (as if Le Guide Culinaire isn't challenging enough), by attempting to actually cook some of the recipes from these daunting cookbooks.
The challenge
This week’s challenge is to create a deconstruction of Chef Grant Achatz’s Icefish, with horseradish, asparagus and shellfish. I’m also taking inspiration from his dish Yolk Drops, with asparagus, meyer lemons and black pepper.
If you are not familiar with Chef Grant, and you have Netflix, I highly suggest that you watch the Chef’s Table episode that documents his story. To be concise - the man is a culinary wizard! Renowned for his avant-garde approach to gastronomy, Chef Achatz, of iconic Chicago establishment, Alinea - is nothing short of a visionary. He has an unwavering commitment to innovation, pushing the boundaries of taste and texture to create sublime moments that challenge rationalization. Seriously, it doesn’t matter if you work in a kitchen, or not, you are sure to be moved and inspired by Chef Grant Achatz’s story.
A deconstruction - asparagus 4-ways inspired by Chef Grant
There are some recipes that are made to be made by someone else; an exquisite plate, served to you with a little theater. In fact, if I had a restaurant of my own (that would host secret tasting menu supper clubs at weekends) I would serve this as a first course. Something playful to whet the appetite and prepare the stomach for more.
Assuming you actually have a life outside the kitchen, I won't burden you with the full recipe (asparagus bubbles and all). Instead, the version I’ll present to you at the end of this newsletter is for a simple white asparagus with a beurre blanc. I’ll also be sure to share a few tips on how best to blanch green asparagus.
For now, I’ll share the ins and outs of my most recent kitchen project. Keep reading, if you dare.
The concept
I wanted to make an appetizer that highlighted the delicate sweetness of in-season asparagus, focusing on texture interplay—smooth and crunchy. Taking inspiration from Chef Grant, I wanted to create a playful sensory experience by pairing sweetness with heat (horseradish) without compromising the quintessential flavor of the asparagus. In other words, make the asparagus taste like the most intense version of itself.
Here's what I settled on: blanched asparagus delicately brushed with preserved lemon and pepper caramel, dotted with asparagus coulis, drizzled with a vanilla beurre blanc and garnished with finely sliced preserved lemon zest, fried parsley, milk-infused garlic chips and seasonal edible flowers. All this, accompanied by a side of horseradish and asparagus cream. Although we have a lot of strong flavors going on, all roads lead back to asparagus.
The Cooking Schedule
Day 1
Prepare garlic chips & fried parsley
Prepare asparagus coulis
Prepare horseradish and asparagus cream
Day 2
Prepare asparagus bubbles
Make vanilla beurre blanc - à la minute
Blanch asparagus
Plate up
Shopping list and special items
Soy lecithin
Preserved lemons
Seasonal flowers
Garlic
Asparagus
Parsley leaves
Horseradish
Unsalted butter
Granulated white sugar
Sour cream
Skimmed milk
White wine
Champagne vinegar
White pepper
Shallot
Canola oil
Please note: for some of these recipes I've followed Chef Grant’s method in his book Alinea, and for others I’ve adapted the techniques and quantities.
Asparagus coulis
For the asparagus coulis, start by filling a large bowl with ice water. Then, in a medium pan, add water and salt and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and blanch for 1-2 minutes before draining and transferring to the ice water bowl to cool for 4-5 minutes. Then, drain and transfer the asparagus to a blender, adding a little ice water, sugar, and a pinch of salt before blending until smooth. Strain the mixture through a sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible, and return the liquid to the blender. Next, add xanthan gum (to thicken - very cool stuff) and blend until slightly thickened before mixing in a generous squeeze of lemon (I found this needed added acidity). Finally, pass the mixture through a sieve, again lots of straining (typical of fine dining) and, transfer to a squeeze bottle before refrigerating. Not so bad - but wait, there's more!
Horseradish and asparagus cream
For the horseradish cream, combine 12g of asparagus coulis (this could be substituted with a squeeze of lemon), 200g of sour cream, 35g of prepared horseradish, a pinch or two of kosher salt, and a sprinkle of white granulated sugar. After mixing everything together, strain the mixture through a sieve (see, told you) and transfer to a squeeze bottle. This cream will keep fresh in the fridge for up to a week. It also pairs very nicely with a medium-rare steak and frites.
Garlic chips
I could eat these by the dozen.
For the garlic chips, slice 5 large garlic cloves as thinly as possible, then transfer them to a small/medium saucepan. Add 375ml of skimmed milk and bring to a gentle simmer over low-medium heat before promptly removing the pan from the stove. After straining the garlic through a chinois or sieve (save the garlicky milk for soup), let the garlic cool. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 260°F, then lay out the garlic chips on a parchment paper-lined baking tray, lightly season with salt, and let them bake for approx. 40-45 minutes or until they reach a glorious golden crispiness. Store the chips in an airtight container. Worth the effort.
Fried parsley leaves
I can think of a million dishes this would be a great garnish for.
For the fried parsley leaves, heat 250g of canola oil in a medium saucepan until it reaches 275°F - take care due to potential spitting. Add the parsley leaves in small batches, no more than 6 leaves at a time, and fry them for approx. 1 minute until they are crisp. After removing the leaves from the oil, season with a sprinkle of sea salt. If you're planning to make extra for future use, simply double the quantity of leaves and ensure you have enough oil to hand. Store in an airtight container, they'll stay fresh for a few days.
Asparagus bubbles
Totally impractical, completely fabulous.
For the asparagus bubbles, blanch asparagus segments in a juicer or blender, then strain the juice through a chinois or sieve. After measuring out 150ml of asparagus juice, pour the liquid into a tall narrow container and add 2g of soy lecithin along with a pinch of kosher salt and a little lemon juice. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until it froths up into delightful bubbles. I’ll be honest, this was a bloody faff and didn’t add much flavor, but it sure was pretty.
Blanched asparagus
Lots of salt for the boiling water - that's the key!
For the blanched asparagus, following Chef Grant's method, bring water and kosher salt to a boil (read on how to salt here). After trimming 200g of asparagus or however much you require, boil the asparagus for 1-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the asparagus and plunge them into an ice water bath for 1-2 minutes to halt the cooking process. Once cooled, I set them aside on a paper towel until ready to serve.
Vanilla beurre blanc
Begin by scraping the seeds from a vanilla bean then set them aside for later. In a saucepan, combine dry white wine, white wine vinegar and finely chopped shallots and allow them to simmer until the liquid has slightly reduced. Then, to add a touch of richness, pour in heavy cream (which also helps to stabilize the beurre blanc to avoid splitting) and again, let the sauce reduce slightly. At this stage, turn off the heat and gradually whisk in the cold butter cubes, allowing the sauce to thicken further before seasoning with a pinch of sugar, salt, and white pepper. After straining through a fine sieve, the result will be a decadent vanilla beurre blanc.
Preserved lemon and pepper caramel
Start by gently heating white wine vinegar and sugar until dissolved, then add preserved (or fresh) lemon and a pinch of white pepper, stirring until well combined. Set aside in a warm place until ready to use. Then, when ready to serve, brush the preserved lemon and pepper caramel over the asparagus for a burst of tangy sweetness.
To assemble and serve
I began by using a potato peeler to gently slice down one side of the asparagus, thus creating a flat surface on which to layer the other elements of the dish. Then, I brushed the asparagus with the caramel before adding the garlic chips, fried parsley, preserved lemon slices, delicate beads of beurre blanc, and asparagus coulis. Finally, I delicately placed seasonal flowers on the top followed by asparagus bubbles before artfully placing the horseradish cream on the serving dish.
Phew - are you still with me? Now, as a reward for reading all of the above, below you will find an alternative and totally achievable version of the recipe. Asparagus is in season right now, and there is no finer way to enjoy the season’s best at home than with a simple beurre blanc. Escoffier would undoubtedly approve.
Asparagus with beurre blanc
Beurre blanc
Ingredients
200g butter (unsalted)
50ml dry white wine
15ml white wine vinegar
25g shallots
40ml cream (heavy cream)
Kosher salt and white pepper to season
Additions
If you’ve been inspired by today’s cooking adventures and now feel like flexing your own culinary muscles you could start by experimenting with the beurre blanc. Try adding either chives, lemon, miso, paprika, or even caviar for a little extra something. Keep notes on the effect of any additions together with suggestions for flavor pairings and possible dishes.
A note on the cream and butter
Many classic beurre blanc recipes do not add cream, and add the butter cube by cube. In my experience, the heavy cream helps to stabilize the sauce, and adding half the quantity of butter at a time, creates a silky sauce that simply won’t, under any circumstances, split.
Method
Add the wine, vinegar and shallots to a small/medium pan and simmer to reduce the liquid. Add the cream and reduce slightly. Once reduced, turn the heat off, or turn to very low. Add half the cold butter cubes, whisk vigorously followed by the other half. Finally, add a pinch of salt and a crack of white pepper. Strain sauce through a sieve until completely smooth, taste and season if needed.
White asparagus
The best method I've found for making white asparagus is boiling it for a few minutes in hot water with a pinch of salt, sugar and a knob of butter.
Spruce Eats has a very good method here.
A special mention
I'd like to extend a special thank you to Samantha Lim Achatz. She's truly a renaissance woman—a creative multi-hyphenate with vision and wit, and she also happens to be Chef Grant’s wife. As luck would have it, a few days after I quietly embarked on this recipe project, having discovered my ingredient prep video, Sam followed me on Instagram. I'm so glad she did! Since then, we've become internet pals - sharing little vignettes of our day-to-day lives and pumping each other up with creative inspiration and ideas. I do believe when women gather together to support one another, be it face-to-face in real life or through the internet, something very special emerges. It's been affirming to meet someone with such playful, vibrant and wholesome energy.
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I love that you did this. I loved absolutely everything about it. You have a brave heart to dive into such shenanigans.