Oven Roasted Purple Asparagus with Hollandaise (and a Salmon Burger)

Oven Roasted Purple Asparagus with Hollandaise

(and a Salmon Burger)

I love working with cool, unique, and healthy ingredients.When I saw the purple asparagus in Whole Foods the other day, I had to have it to create a dish around this beautiful piece of produce. (plus, it's helps that it's organic!)

Purple asparagus, harvest from early spring through summer, has a similar texture and flavor of regular asparagus';it has a higher sugar and lower fiber levels. It’s also known as “Violetto d’Albegna”.

Switch out your regular asparagus next time for this unique version!

I also have to give a 'shout out' to the awesome fish monger, Jerrell, at Whole Foods. He was wonderful at talking out my dish and helping pair an appropriate fish to go with it. We really liked the salmon as a contrast to the asparagus and sauce. I highly recommend you use the resources we forget are available to help us with our cooking. :-)

To Cook Asparagus -

Woody ends we do NOT want to eat! ick!

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.

Snap off one of the woody ends of one piece. Cut the rest of the asparagus to this same length.

Toss with Olive Oil and Salt.

Roast for 10-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Turn part way through. Look for asparagus to be tender with a slight char on the outside.

(About this purple Asparagus: I love how the purple turned into a green hue when cooked.)

Directions for Hollandaise Sauce

(Note: this is really hard to take photos of when you're alone because you are constantly whisking or working, so please excuse the lack of pictures on this one!)

Find small sauce pan where you can get your water to a simmer and a larger bowl to fit on top. (A double boiler will work, but for us home cooks, this is an easier solution.)

Mix 4 Egg Yolks and 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice in a bowl. You'll need to whisk vigorously until the liquid appears to double.

(Tip! To separate the egg yolks from the white: (1) Crack the egg in half in the middle over a bowl, (2) Slowly pour the egg yolk from one half of the egg shell to the other, allowing the egg white to fall into the bowl and the yolk to stay in the shell. (3) Repeat until the yolk is all that remains in the shell.)

- Place bowl over pot with a simmer, making sure the bowl is not touching the water. (You don't want the egg to cook.)

- At this step take one stick (8 tbsp) of melted butter and whisk part of it into yolk/lemon mixture. You'll need to whisk constantly while slowly adding the butter. This sauce will double again in volume.

- Add a pinch of cayenne pepper (about 2 shakes), and salt to taste.

- Keep Warm.

(Also, see this recipe with Boys and Beets: Eggs Benedict.)