White Asparagus and the Importance of Milk
I was a stagiaire at a little restaurant in Tribeca when I had my first taste of white asparagus. At the time I was completely unaware that asparagus was grown in such a fashion where it could be completely deprived of light to prevent chlorophyll formation. Needless to say, I was excited to try it. I got to eat a plain piece of it simply blanched in salted water. The taste proved to be milder in flavor from its green counterpart, slightly more nutty. I thought it tasted pretty good and interesting. Yet I also found it slightly bitter, a characteristic unfound in green asparagus.
It was not until I worked at another restaurant that I was taught what I now deem the proper way to cook white asparagus: blanching it in milk first. Somehow the technique removes all bitterness without disrupting the main flavor of the vegetable. Some people like to use sugar in water to get rid of the bitterness, and it kind of works, but the asparagus then tastes sweet, which I personally am not crazy about.
Milk is one of those magical ingredients in a kitchen. Yes, it can be used in recipes to add a certain flavor and texture, like in a soup, for instance. But it is also useful for other applications. Cooking white vegetables in milk can help keep them whiter, for instance, milk works wonders for cauliflower or celeriac purées. Want to make a beautiful foie gras torchon? Soak the liver in milk overnight, much of the blood will be drawn out, improving both color and flavor. Milk can also diminish bitterness from foods, as is the case with white asparagus, and also spinach. Many people claim that milk is also a natural tenderizer for proteins.
I have yet to find a definitive answer as to why milk has all these seemingly-purifying properties (where are you, Harold McGee?). I don’t know which enzyme or mineral does these things, I just know that using milk works.
Preparing White Asparagus
Ingredients:
as needed, white asparagus
equal parts water to milk
as needed, salt
Trim off tough ends of asparagus. Peel stalks. Discard peels and ends.
Place water, milk and salt in pot. Bring to a simmer slowly, do not allow to boil over. Meanwhile, prepare an icebath: place some ice and cold water into a bowl. Make sure there is enough to submerge the asparagus.
Once the milk mixture starts to simmer, place asparagus into pot, and cook until al dente.
Remove asparagus and shock in the icebath. Once fully cooled, remove asparagus and keep refrigerated until ready to cook.
Sautéed white asparagus with fava beans, bacon and a fried quail egg.
5 comments
I had no idea about this milk-blanching technique. (But I did have a white asparagus soup recently that was topped with a cloud of frothy milk, and it was delicious.) Where do you find white asparagus in NYC?
@Barbra: I’ve seen it both at Whole Foods and Dean & Deluca, though more expensive at the latter if I recall correctly. I wish I could find the jumbo-sized white asparagus, like they have in Germany!
I have a question, can you use cream??
@Kevin: Hi, Kevin. I’ve never used heavy cream to cook white asparagus, but I’m guessing it would work. I’ve used both skim milk and whole milk with this technique and both work, so that leaves me to think that the fat content has nothing to do with removing the bitterness. My suggestion would be to try it out!
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