Asparagus Mimosa
This classic French dish bathes steamed asparagus in a Dijon-honey vinaigrette and tops the spears with fluffy shreds of hard-cooked eggs. It gets its name from how the grated (or chopped or sieved) yolks resemble delicate mimosa flowers. This recipe streamlines the prep, cutting down on dishes by steaming the asparagus and eggs together and using the same ice bath to cool them.
Make ahead: The vinaigrette can be made, the asparagus and eggs steamed, and the eggs peeled up to 2 days in advance. Dress the asparagus and grate the eggs just before serving.
Storage: The composed dish is best when freshly made, but you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds asparagus spears
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
Step 1
Snap the tough ends off the asparagus spears. In a medium bowl, prepare an ice bath.
Step 2
In a large pot over high heat, bring about 1 inch of water to a boil. Put the eggs on one side of a steamer insert that fits in the pot, and gently lower the steamer into the pot. Pile the asparagus onto the other side of the steamer so you avoid covering up the eggs. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and set a timer for 13 minutes.
Step 3
Steam the asparagus and eggs until the asparagus is bright green and crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes. (A spear should offer little resistance when pierced with a paring knife and should bend slightly without breaking; if your asparagus is on the thinner side, start checking after 3 minutes.) Use tongs to immediately transfer the asparagus to the ice bath, and quickly re-cover the pot to continue steaming the eggs.
Step 4
While the eggs are cooking, transfer the asparagus spears to a clean dish towel, and use another clean towel to thoroughly pat them dry.
Step 5
When the eggs have cooked for 13 minutes, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the same ice bath, adding more ice cubes if needed, and let sit for a few minutes to cool. Peel the eggs immediately.
Step 6
While the eggs are cooling, in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey or agave, mustard, salt and a few grinds of black pepper until smooth and emulsified. Taste, and season with more salt if needed.
Step 7
Transfer the asparagus to a platter, and drizzle all the dressing over the spears.
Step 8
Cut the eggs in half and scoop out the yolks. Use the fine side of a box grater or a Microplane rasp grater to finely shred the egg whites, piling them in a strip across the asparagus. Use the same grater to shred the egg yolks, and sprinkle them over the whites, keeping the two distinct. (If you’d like, you can press the whites and the yolks through a fine-mesh strainer instead, or use a knife to finely chop them, keeping them separate.)
Step 9
Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.
Substitutions
To make it vegan >> use grated or crumbled firm tofu instead of the egg whites and finely chopped or grated yellow bell peppers instead of the yolks, and use agave nectar instead of honey.
Instead of olive oil >> use 6 tablespoons of a neutral vegetable oil plus 2 tablespoons walnut oil, toasted sesame oil or other favorite nut oil.
Lemon juice >> red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Parsley >> mint, cilantro or tarragon.
