A new beginning as the days get longer: this is the promise of spring, for us as for asparagus and other vegetables. We leave the darkness behind – or try to, anyway – and seek the light.
Get the recipe: Mimosa asparagus
In the kitchen, asparagus shines in spring, especially when accompanied by eggs, one of its favorite partners. Is it simply because both are so abundant at this time of year, when hens that have slowed or even stopped laying eggs have resumed production? The dishes that use the two together seem endless, perhaps because they include the classic and the new, the tried and why not. There’s Dutch asparagus, asparagus frittata, even asparagus with scrambled, fried or poached eggs. Every spring I gorge myself on spears, roasting, steaming, and stir-frying them until I’m full, which usually only happens when they’re no longer available.
My friend and fellow food writer David Lebovitz is also a fan, and in Paris, where he lives, asparagus fills the farmers’ markets every year around this time. He’s excited to see more green spears rather than so many white ones (which, as he says, is only good when they’re super fresh). Lebovitz isn’t one to mince words, and when I recently emailed him about a classic French preparation of asparagus and eggs, he quickly responded, “I love it mimosa asparagus and I think this is the best way to serve asparagus.
If you’re not already familiar with this dish, let me make one thing clear: asparagus mimosa is nothing like champagne and orange juice, although it would be a nice accompaniment. Instead, it gets its name from the way sifted (or grated or finely chopped) egg yolks on a background of whites evoke mimosa flowers. What poetry!
Perhaps most importantly, it’s downright delicious. And it’s quite simple, to better highlight the flavors of its key ingredients. The asparagus is lightly cooked (steamed or blanched), bathed in a vinaigrette and garnished with egg whites then yolks, traditionally in a wide strip on the tips. It’s an ideal dish for brunch, on its own with bread, or as an accompaniment to a main dish of your choice.
Lebovitz has a great recipe on his website, but the whole point of the asparagus mimosa is that you can make it quite spontaneously, using your favorite vinaigrette. To save a little time (and reduce the number of pots and bowls), I like to steam the asparagus and eggs together, first removing the asparagus and plunging it into an ice bath to protect that hard-earned green color and keep it from getting too soft, then do the same with the eggs before peeling them. My favorite method for eggs is to slide them onto the fine side of a Microplane grater, which creates the fluffiest piles with little effort.
It’s best to taste the dish immediately to appreciate the combination of textures, and this too seems in the spirit of the season. Although we might wish it otherwise, spring disappears as quickly as it comes, year after year.
Get the recipe: Mimosa asparagus
