Asparagus Salad
Poached asparagus:
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1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped off where they naturally break
zest from 1 lemon
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 small shallot cut in half
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Place some water in a pan, just about ½ way up the pan. Add the shallot, bay leaf, peppercorns and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer add the asparagus. Once the asparagus are bright green and tender but still crisp (don’t overcook them!) remove and place on a serving plate. Discard the poaching water and aromatics. Top the asparagus with French vinaigrette and a soft boiled egg before serving.
French Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 rounded tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely minced shallots
1 teaspoon finely minced thyme
1 teaspoon finely minced rosemary
1 teaspoon tarragon leaves, chopped fine
¼-⅓ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Place all ingredients except for the olive oil in a bowl and whisk together. Slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking constantly to emulsify the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper
For the soft boiled egg with jammy yolk:
Heat a pot of water to a boil, carefully lower your eggs into the boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes. While the eggs cook prepare a large bowl of ice water. Cool the eggs in the ice water just till its cool enough to handle, unless you want to cook your eggs ahead of time and serve later.
Keep the hot water so you can heat the egg a little if you’ve poached your egg earlier.