Here comes the sun. Eating al fresco on a warm evening is one of the joys of summer. Complete the pleasure by serving up one of our finest British ingredients: asparagus.
Cromer crab and asparagus salad with lemon and coriander dressing
Serves six as a starter
Ingredients:
For the salad: - 350g fresh white crab meat
- 450g asparagus (medium-sized spears)
- about 125g mixed salad leaves
- 2 vine-ripened, or good flavoured tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded and chopped
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For the dressing: - 150ml mild olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
- 1 dessertspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
- 2 tbsps fish stock or water
- juice of 1⁄2 lemon
- 1 good-flavoured tomato, skinned and de-seeded
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Method:
- Wash the asparagus and cut off the tough ends of the spears. Steam for a few minutes until tender then leave to cool. Reserving the tips for decoration, cut the stalks into small pieces.
- To make the dressing, gently heat the olive oil in a small pan and add the garlic and coriander seeds. Gently heat for about 2 minutes until they start to sizzle, then blend in a liquidiser with the remaining ingredients. Season to taste.
- Fold the pieces of asparagus into the crab meat with 1 tbsp of the dressing (use two forks so you can shred and pull the crab meat apart rather than mixing it).
- To serve, arrange a few salad leaves round the edge of six serving plates. Scatter the chopped tomato on top of them, then spoon the crab and asparagus mixture in the centre. Carefully pour over a little dressing and arrange the reserved asparagus tips to decorate.
This recipe is taken from 'Fish' by Sara Paston-Williams, a National Trust recipe book.
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Hollandaise sauce
(makes about 300ml [1⁄2pt])
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsps white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsps water
- 10 white peppercorns
- 3 large egg yolks
- 175g unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
- sea salt and lemon juice to taste
Method:
- Put the vinegar, water and peppercorns into a small pan and boil down to about 1 tablespoon of liquid. Leave to cool.
- Beat the egg yolks in a basin and add the reduced vinegar mixture. Pour the egg yolks and vinegar mixture into the top of a double saucepan or set the basin over a pan of barely simmering water on a low heat.
- Cook slowly without letting the water boil, or the sauce will get too hot and curdle. Add the butter, knob by knob, stirring all the time. The sauce is finished when it coats the back of the spoon and looks thick. Season to taste with salt and lemon juice. Keep warm on a very low heat until ready to serve.
This recipe is taken from the Complete Traditional Recipe Book by Sarah Edington, available now from National Trust books.
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Cheesy asparagus flan
Serves four
This asparagus flan is a recipe from the restaurant at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk. It's delicious hot or cold and makes a great centrepiece for a picnic.
Ingredients:
- enough shortcrust pastry to line an 8" flan dish
- 150ml double cream
- 2 eggs
- 100g Cheddar cheese
- 100g Red Leicester or similar cheese
- 200g green asparagus
- handful fresh parsley or chives, chopped
- 1 tsp Dijon-style mustard (optional)
- salt and pepper
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5. Roll out the pastry and line an 8" flan dish. If you want, you can bake the pastry case blind. Cover the pastry with a sheet of grease-proof paper and then fill with baking beads or equivalent. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Wash the asparagus thoroughly to remove any grit and chop into 5cm chunks. Steam it lightly for 5 minutes, then drain well.
- Grate the cheeses.
- Beat together the cream and the eggs. Add the herbs, salt and pepper, with the mustard (if using).
- Put half of each cheese into the cream mixture.
- Arrange the asparagus spears in the flan dish and pour the cream mixture on top. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Bake for about 35 minutes, until the egg mixture is risen and set.
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Asparagus and red onion tart
Cut into eight slices
This tart is the own recipe of Paul Massingham, Head Chef of Blickling Hall in Norfolk. To make it, Paul sources local asparagus from less than 5 miles away.
Ingredients:
- enough shortcrust pastry to line an 12" flan dish
- 1 large red onion
- 300g asparagus
- 5 eggs
- 300ml milk
- 300ml double cream
- salt and pepper
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
- Trim the woody ends from the asparagus, then steam it for only 1 minute (just enough to bring out the lush green colour without cooking).
- Line a 12" flan dish with the pastry and leave the edges over hanging. Bake blind for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is almost cooked in the centre.
- Slice the red onion and lay in the flan dish along with the asparagus.
- Beat the eggs, cream and milk together well and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the flan dish on a tray in the oven, then pour the egg mixture on top until it reaches the top of the pastry. Cook for about 25 minutes, until golden.
- Cut off the over hanging pastry edges. Allow to cool.
- Portion into eight slices and enjoy with salad and warm new potatoes.
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