French Asparagus Recipe with a Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette

This French Asparagus with a Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette is simple and flavorful. The bright flavors of citrus and the pop of champagne pair beautifully with fresh spring Asparagus, cooked to perfection. Did I mention that it is a vegan recipe, too?

Making a delightful French Asparagus side dish is much easier than you think. With a few choice ingredients and 15 minutes, you will have a show stopper dish to share with your guests. Bon Appétit!

How do the French Eat Asparagus?

As many ways a possible! As always in French cuisine, mastering the cooking time for vegetables is the most important. In this recipe the asparagus is lightly boiled for five minutes. Just enough to make the vegetable supple and enjoyable to eat, all the while maintaining an "al dente" (Italian for "firm to the tooth") texture.

Asparagus is also delicious served raw in a salad (shaved very thinly with a mandolin ) or else as a soup, such as in my spring asparagus soup recipe.

French Asparagus with Citrus Vinaigrette Ingredients

• 1 bunch of Asparagus
• 1 bulb of Fennel
• 1 Spring Onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 almonds
• 1 Orange
• 1 Lemon
• For the Vinaigrette:
• 6 tablespoons of olive oil (the best you have)
• 2 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar (we love Acetaia di Terga)
• 1 tablespoons of Savora mustard (One of Le Chef's favorites from France - it is available in specialty food stores, the turmeric really adds brightness to the dish)
• Pinch of coarse sea salt
• Pinch of ground pepper
• finch of finely sliced spring onion
• zest of half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons of Champagne (I don't think we need to tell you what to do with the rest of the bottle!)

How to Make French Asparagus

For the Asparagus:

( Le Chef's tip - I have learned to prep all of the ingredients before I actually start cooking, a process called "la mise en place" -  it  saves time and keeps me from overcooking an item as you are prepping the next ingredient - or wrangling a toddler…)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Set a pot of salted water to boil (enough to completely cover the asparagus). I like to use a deep sauteuse pan.
3. Slice the almonds in thin slivers, leaving 3 almonds whole for later. Slice the heart of the fennel bulb into thin slivers. Finely chop the spring onion. Set aside.
4. Slice the lemon in half and put the halves in the oven on a cookie sheet or grill pan drizzled with olive oil, sliced edge down for 15 minutes.
5. Cut the white ends off of the asparagus (it looks neater if all the asparagus are the same length). Set the asparagus in the boiling salted water with a bay leaf for no longer than 5 minutes (less if you like your asparagus really crunchy).

How to Make the Citrus Champagne Vinaigrette

1. Whisk ingredients together until emulsified; it should only take a few turns of the whisk.
2. Finishing the dish
3. Place the asparagus on a serving dish, garnished with the 2 roasted lemons.
4. Pour the Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette over the asparagus spears.
5. Top with a few slivers of the shaved fennel, the remaining spring onion and sliced almonds.
6. Using a zester, zest an orange directly over the dish ( a light dusting will do) as well as the remaining almonds.
7. Serve immediately. With a Glass of Champagne of course!

What to Serve with French Asparagus

Lightly steamed and served  with a Champagne citrus vinaigrette, this dish feels special enough to serve for company yet is easy enough to whip up when you want to keep things simple.

I recommend serving the French Asparagus with a Rosemary Roasted Rack of Lamb or else with Mediterranean Branzino with Vierge Sauce.

You can also choose to serve the asparagus simply with a soft poached egg on top for a delicious brunch dish.

Bon Appétit!

Have you tried this Spring Asparagus Recipe with a Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette? If so, please rate the recipe and leave a comment! I would love to hear from you.

Au plaisir,

Le Chef's Wife

This article and recipe for Spring Asparagus with a Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette first appeared in the Spring 2020 issue of Edible DC Magazine. Photography by Jennifer Chase. Words and recipe by Anina Belle Giannini.

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