Organic asparagus with pea pancakes, herb sabayon and poached eggs

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post-tom_aikens_-_asparagus_and_pea_pancakes_1_low-resCooking Time: 50 minutes

Serves: 4

What You’ll Need:

Pea pancakes

  • 250g organic peas
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 pinch of caster sugar
  • 10g of cornflour
  • 25g of organic self-raising flour
  • ½ tsp of baking powder
  • 2 organic eggs, separated
  • 1 tsp of caster sugar
  • 3 organic spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 pinch of chopped chervil
  • 1 pinch of chopped organic flat-leaf parsley
  • salt
  • freshly ground organic black pepper
  • organic olive oil, for frying

Asparagus

  • 20 organic asparagus spears, trimmed and bases peeled
  • organic olive oil
  • salt
  • freshly ground organic black pepper

Herb sabayon

  • 1 organic egg
  • 2 organic egg yolks
  • 50ml of organic vegetable stock
  • ½ organic lemon
  • 100g of clarified butter
  • 1 pinch of chopped chervil
  • 1 pinch of chopped chives
  • 1 pinch of chopped organic flat-leaf parsley
  • salt
  • freshly ground organic black pepper

Poached eggs

  • 8 organic eggs
  • organic white wine vinegar
  • salt
  • freshly ground organic black pepper 

Equipment:

  • Food processor or blender
  • Blini pan

What To Do:

  • Start by making the pea pancake batter. Blanch the peas for 2 minutes in a pan of boiling water with a pinch of salt and pinch of caster sugar. Drain and tip the peas into a food processor or blender
  • Sieve together the cornflour, self-raising flour and baking powder then add this to the food processor along with the egg yolks, teaspoon of sugar and some seasoning
  • Blend everything together to make a thick green purée
  • Place the egg whites in to a large mixing bowl and whisk together with a pinch of salt until light and airy. Gently fold in the pea purée, then stir through the chopped spring onions and herbs, adjusting the seasoning to taste
  • Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3½
  • You can either cook the pancakes one at a time in a single blini pan, or use several pans at once. Alternatively, the pancakes could be cooked by the spoonful in one large pan
  • Lightly oil the blini pan and spoon in the batter to create a thick pancake. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes to set the base then transfer to the oven to finish cooking for another 5 minutes
  • Repeat so that you have 4 pancakes then keep warm until ready to serve
  • For the sabayon, place the egg and yolks in a mixing bowl along with the stock and zest and juice of half a lemon
  • Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the asparagus for a few minutes or until tender (this will depend on the thickness of the stalks)
  • Place the sabayon bowl over the pan (making sure that it doesn’t touch the water) and start whisking over the heat to create a light and airy mixture
  • When fluffy, remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the clarified butter to create a thick sauce. Stir through the chopped herbs and season to taste
  • Drain the cooked asparagus, pat dry and season with a little oil, salt and pepper
  • To poach the eggs bring a large pan of fresh water to a simmer and stir in a little white wine vinegar to help the eggs set. Gently swirl the water to create a whirlpool effect and crack in the eggs (it can help to break the eggs into small cups first, then tip gently into the water)
  • Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes until just set, then drain and season to taste
  • To serve, place a warm pea pancake on each plate, followed by 2 poached eggs and 5 spears of asparagus. Top with a generous spoonful of the herb sabayon

Created as part of #OrganicUnboxed by Tom Aikens for The Organic Trade Board’s ‘Organic. Naturally Different’ campaign, courtesy of www.greatbritishchefs.com

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