Asparagus With Morels and Tarragon
The Flavor of Spring
By Mark Bittman
In an ideal world, here's what a spring dish might look like: you
take morels from your foraging trip, cream and butter from your cow,
and asparagus, shallots and herbs from your garden. You combine them
in any way that makes sense to you, and then you thank the forest,
the cow and your backyard for providing such amazing bounty.
Sound familiar? Not to me, either. But there are ways to come close.
Start with a combination of dried morels or porcini and fresh
shiitakes or button mushrooms. The more morels you use, the more
intense the flavor. But I've made this with as few as four and not
been disappointed.
Get the best asparagus, not too thin; this is the right time of year
for it, after all. Ditto with the butter and cream, and don't skimp
on either. Use fresh chervil (preferred, but difficult to find) or
tarragon - do not settle for dried here.
The result will be a French classic, a combination of strong,
uncommon flavors that could have been designed to go together.
Combining dried and fresh mushrooms is a reliable way to transfer
the exotic flavor of truly wild mushrooms to tamer domesticated ones.
Using the soaking liquid for the morels makes it certain that none
of their essence goes to waste.
The procedure itself is straightforward, with one exception:
half-cook the asparagus first, so that it finishes in the cream,
therefore absorbing a bit of it and becoming tender yet not mushy.
What's half-cooked asparagus? Just a stage or so past raw. If the
cream mixture threatens to dry out before the asparagus is done, add
more cream, more mushroom soaking liquid or water.
It's worth mentioning that this mixture makes a terrific pasta
sauce. But speaking of spring, that might be gilding the lily.
Asparagus With Morels and Tarragon
==================================
1/4 to 1/2 ounce dried morels or porcinis, or a combination
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 pound fresh shiitake or white button mushrooms or a combination,
cleaned, trimmed and sliced
1 to 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 tablespoon chopped
fresh chervil
Salt and pepper to taste
Put morels, porcinis or both in a bowl with very hot water to cover;
soak until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain morels and reserve soaking
liquid. Cut morels in half; if porcinis are large, chop them roughly.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; when butter
is hot and foam has subsided, add shallots and reconstituted and
fresh mushrooms to pan. Cook until shallots soften and fresh mushrooms
have released their liquid and it has cooked off, about 10 minutes.
Add asparagus and 1/2 cup reserved liquid to pan. Bring liquid to a
boil, cover, reduce heat so mixture simmers, and continue cooking for
another 2 to 4 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add cream
and tarragon or chervil and continue cooking, uncovered, until sauce
thickens slightly and asparagus is tender, about 4 minutes more.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.
'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not keep you
~Sugar
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