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Asparagus with Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette

French Asparagus with a Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette

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  • Author: Anina Belle Gianini
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Vegetable sides

Description

Simple and flavorful. The bright flavors of citrus and the pop of champagne pair beautifully with fresh spring Asparagus. Vegan Recipe.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Asparagus:

  • 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!)

Instructions

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

Notes

If Asparagus are in season, look for the skinniest spears available, they have more flavour.

If you don't have Savora mustard, Dijon mustard is a nice alternative.

This recipe is vegan but if you love parmesan cheese, by all means feel free to top liberally with parmesan!

I love my microplane zester. It is the perfect tool for this recipe - it zests the orange and lemons perfectly as well as the almonds.

La Mise en Place ( Le Chef’s tip - I have learned to prep all of the ingredients before I actually start cooking -  it  saves time and keeps me from overcooking an item as you are prepping the next ingredient - or wrangling a toddler…)