The Verandah | Anyone 4 Curry & Other Things

HALLO ! Yes, I am back again.

She promised us a second recipe from Chef Pierre in Bangkok and what happened? Some of you may have asked. Nothing, nichts, niente, nada etc.

But here is the little story – everything was ready in good time to be posted as promised first thing, before breakfast even, on Thursday morning. But then something else inevitably happened. We were both happily reading our books when suddenly around 10.30 pm an enormous “bang” was heard outside somewhere in the road – the lights went out, thankfully only for a short while, but……… the lines for TV and Internet disappeared completely. So, at this time, Friday afternoon, when I drafted this I have no idea when those lines will once again be restored; we will just have to wait and see. – The lines only came back now.

And nearly 10 days later here is Chef Pierre’s second Asparagus recipe, and this time he is using that lovely fat white Asparagus which is very much connected to my earlier memories. So absolutely simple, no fuss, no complicated cooking, this is the best way to enjoy that beautiful taste of this kind of Asparagus.

Although Chef Pierre has given this recipe with “Paris Ham”, it is also absolutely delicious with smoked salmon!

White asparagus with Paris ham and hollandaise sauce

500 g white asparagus

120 g hollandaise sauce

Some tiny new boiled potatoes

100 g Paris ham

50 g lemon, cut in half

20 g lime

For the hollandaise for 5 pers.

100 g egg yolk

200 g good unsalted butter

20 g lemon juice

10 g salt

3 g white pepper.

Method

Prepare the potatoes and boil them slowly until tender.

Peel and clean the asparagus and boil them in very hot water for about 8 to 10 min according to size.

Prepare the hollandaise sauce.

Display the elements on the plate nicely and serve right away.

Just do remember three important words “the asparagus must be hot, the sauce warm and the Paris ham cold!

Make the hollandaise.

Melt the butter and keep warm, around 45 to 50* C.

Mix the egg yolk with 60 g of cold water in a stainless steel bowl and whisk this over a bain marie (simmering water in a pot), whisk it constantly until warm, fluffy and has a thick consistency like a mousse.

Take it off the fire if necessary from time to time – the process should be slow and not exceed 65 to 68* C, or your egg will start to scramble.

Then take off the fire completely and add lemon juice, salt and pepper (according to taste) while stirring the butter.

Serve right away.

Bon appetite, mes amis!

Last weekend I invited you, my dear blogging friends, onto an imaginary flight to Bangkok to join our table at “The Verandah”, the elegant restaurant overlooking the mighty Chao Phraya River at our favourite hotel, the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok.

This is the domain of Chef Pierre (Rimoneau ) who, as part of “The Verandah’s” Asparagus Fest, has graciously parted with two of his most delicious Asparagus recipes, especially created and prepared in order to showcase the delicious flavour of the wonderfully white asparagus and the organically grown green asparagus and using ingredients from the Royal Projects.

In fact I am off tomorrow “Asparagus hunting” in our new hypermarket. It will not be the wonderfully thick white kind of variety which was very much part of my German seasonal feast, when I still lived in the country of my birth, but just the very thin green variety which I got to like later in England – better than nothing at all, I say. Don’t you agree?

Asparagus Salad with waxy boiled quail eggs

80 g Asparagus, green import

90 g Asparagus, white import

120 g Asparagus, local (wherever you are)

30 g mixed salad

20 g sundried tomatoes

10 g parmesan shaving

65 g boiled quail egg

1 g edible flower

25 g lime and olive oil dressing

½ g chervil

Method

Peel and boil the asparagus: 3-4 min for the green one’s and 8-10 min for the white one’s, according to their size. Test.

Pick and clean salad, dry and mix together.

Boil the quail eggs, 3 min. Cool them down and peel them.

Prepare an olive lime juice dressing with salt and pepper.

Set the salad in the plate, add the asparagus cut in length, the sundried tomato cut in strips, and add a flower on top.

Add some parmesan shaving and at the last minute cut the quail eggs and place them on top of the salad, the yolk should be running into the salad.

Serve right away – with the dressing separately.

Enjoy!

So, for whatever your personal taste buds crave, I suggest you try both – and why not!? I am sure you will not be disappointed. Second recipe will follow in a couple of days.

I hope you all enjoyed your treat and of course I will pass on your comments together with my personal thanks to Chef Pierre and to Executive Chef Stefan for their kind help and support.