Spa Cuisine Asparagus Soup With Roasted Shallots And Morels Recipes

ASPARAGUS AND MOREL RISOTTO

Steps:

• Place chicken stock in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until butter starts to bubble. Add asparagus and morel mushrooms; saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate with any accumulated juices.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in the same saucepan. Add shallot; cook and stir until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in arborio rice and cook until it starts to toast, about 1 minute. Pour in wine and cook until evaporated. Stir in thyme.
• Pour 1/4 cup of the simmering stock over the rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until stock is absorbed. Repeat with remaining stock until rice is tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Stir in asparagus and mushrooms with their juices and continue until flavors combine, about 3 minutes more.
• Remove rice from the heat. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and parsley. Season with salt and black pepper. Garnish with balsamic vinegar and additional olive oil before serving.

GRILLED ASPARAGUS WITH ROASTED SHALLOTS & CRANBERRY VINAGARE

Steps:

• Whisk 1/3°C olive oil, the juice of lemon,3 T. red wine vinegar and salt and pepper. Toss 1/2 of this mixture with the asparagus and the other half with the shallots.
• Roast shallots in a 350 oven for 20 minutes.
• Grill asparagus on the grill 5-7 minutes.
• When shallots have cooled mince them up.
• Meanwhile to prepare the vinegarette combine.
• the cranberry juice, balsamic vinegar, 1/2 Cup olive oil 1 T. chives or parsley, and chopped shallots.
• To serve lay out asparagus and top with dressing add dried cranberries across the top. If you make ahead the cranberries will absord the vinegarette and plump up nicely.

SAUTé OF WHITE ASPARAGUS, MORELS, AND RAMPS OVER POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Snap off the ends of the asparagus (they will break naturally where their toughness begins), and peel the stalks.
• Clean the ramps and prepare the ramps according to the method described on page 33.
• Blanch the asparagus in heavily salted boiling water about 5 minutes, until tender. To test for doneness, take a spear out of the water, cut a small piece off the end, and taste it. (Remember, the spears will continue to cook a little as they cool.) Carefully remove the asparagus to a baking sheet to cool.
• If the morels are large, cut them in half.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. (If you don't have a pan that's large enough to hold all of the vegetables, heat two pans and divide ingredients accordingly.) Add 4 tablespoons butter to the pan, and when it foams, scatter the morels into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd them. Sauté the mushrooms 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often. Turn down the heat to medium, and add the thyme, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Let the mushrooms cook another 6 to 8 minutes. They should be crispy on the outside, yet still tender. (The amount of cooking time really depends on the mushrooms; sometimes they give off water, which will require a longer cooking time, to allow the water to evaporate and the morels to crisp.)
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the mushrooms, and place the blanched asparagus carefully in the pan. Toss to coat the asparagus in all the mushroomy brown butter, and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the ramps to the pan, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook another 2 minutes, tossing often so all the flavors meld and everything is coated in the butter. Taste for seasoning.
• Spoon the polenta onto a large warm platter. Using tongs, arrange the asparagus and ramps, randomly overlapping them over the polenta. Spoon the morels and all the butter over the top, and scatter the parsley over everything.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot, bring 5 1/2 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil over high heat. Add the polenta slowly, whisking continuously. Turn the heat down to low, and continue cooking for another 20 minutes, whisking often. Add another 1/2 cup water and cook 1 more hour, whisking often and adding 1/2 cup water as needed, about every 20 minutes. The flame should be low, so that the polenta is barely simmering. As you whisk, make sure that you reach the bottom of the pan to prevent the polenta from scorching. I like to use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot.
• Whisk in the butter, and taste for seasoning. Even when the polenta is finished, you might sense it thickening up a little. If so, add a little more water and whisk to get the right consistency. If you're not serving right away, cover the pan with plastic wrap to keep the polenta from thickening or losing moisture. If necessary, rewarm over low heat before serving.
• You can blanch the asparagus and ramps a few hours ahead.

SPA CUISINE - ASPARAGUS SOUP WITH ROASTED SHALLOTS AND MORELS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the onion, garlic and 2 tablespoons of the oil and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the asparagus and cook for 5 minutes, stirring.
• Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to moderately low and cook until the asparagus are very tender, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• In a bowl, soak the morels in the hot water until softened, about 20 minutes.
• Swirl to dislodge any grit; drain and chop.
• In a pie plate, toss the morels, shallots, remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
• Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the shallots are softened and lightly browned.
• Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender.
• Return the soup to the saucepan and season with salt and pepper.
• Ladle into soup plates, garnish with the mushroom mixture and serve.
• NOTE: If you'd like to garnish the soup with asparagus tips, set aside 16 two-inch tips before cutting up the stalks. Blanch or sauté the tips separately.
• NOTE: The soup and morel garnish can be made ahead and refrigerated separately overnight. Rewarm before serving.