Ingredients

For the salt dough

  • 12 stems of white asparagus (as thick as a finger)
  • 2 kg unwashed sea salt
  • 132 g wheat flour
  • 66 g corn starch
  • 4 whole eggs

For the asparagus

  • 12 stems of white asparagus (finger-thick)
  • 4 slices of green bacon (approx. 10 cm wide and 5 mm thick)
  • 20 small chanterelles, cleaned
  • 20 small white pearl onions, pickled
  • 2 kg finished salt dough
  • Some butter
  • Salt, freshly ground white pepper
  • Tarragon tips and mini basil for garnishing

For the beer Hollandaise

  • 150 ml Helles (Bavarian beer PGI)
  • ½ pitted garlic clove
  • ½ laurel leaf
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 5 peppercorns
  • 1 carnation
  • 1 juniper berry
  • 1 pimento grain
  • 80 g fresh egg yolk
  • 200 g liquid clarified butter
  • Salt, sugar, lemon juice

And this is how it’s done:

Salt dough
Process the unwashed sea salt together with the wheat flour, corn starch and eggs to make a homogeneous mass.

Asparagus

  • Peel the asparagus thinly so that all fibres are removed and toss briefly in butter in a pan.
  • Then wrap 3 sticks of asparagus closely together in the green bacon. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place a part of the salt dough, about 1 cm thick, on the paper, the size of the asparagus bundle. Place the asparagus bundle on top and in a 1 cm thick layer wrap the asparagus bundle with the salt dough and press down firmly. Do the same with the remaining 3 asparagus bundles.
  • Cook in a preheated oven at 200°C for approx. 15 minutes so that the asparagus is still “al dente”. Then take the asparagus bundles out of the oven and let them steep for about 3-4 minutes.
  • During this time, toss the washed and dried chanterelles with butter, salt and pepper and keep warm until serving.
  • Cut the pearl onions in half and flame them with a Bunsen burner until they are ready to serve.

Beer Hollandaise

  • Heat the beer (do not boil) and let the aromas infuse for about 10 minutes.
  • Strain the beer spice brew through a fine sieve.
  • Beat the beer brew and the egg yolk in a bowl on the water bath until frothy and slowly stir in the lukewarm clarified butter. Season to taste with salt, sugar and lemon juice. Cover and place in a warm water bath until serving.

Veal head

  • Wash the veal head thoroughly, shave it and remove all cartilage. Bring the curing salt and water to the boil once in a saucepan, then remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the curing brine to cool. Layer the veal head tightly in a large pot or stainless steel bowl and pour over the brine completely. Then cover and put in the fridge for 3 days.
  • Remove the veal head from the curing brine and place in a large pot. Peel the carrot and onion, chop coarsely and add.
  • Clean the celery, cut coarsely and add. Then fill with enough cold water to completely cover the veal head. Add the peppercorns, juniper berries, pimento and bay leaf and bring to the boil slowly.
  • Cook the veal head at medium heat for about 1 – 2 hours until soft. Remove the soft veal head and remove the rind while still hot.
  • Cut the veal head meat immediately into pieces and season with salt, freshly ground white pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Then mix the mustard, some white wine vinegar and the port wine reduction, mix with the spiced veal head meat and season to taste. Line a terrine mould with cling film and press the still warm veal head pieces firmly into the mould. Then weigh it down well and put it in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
  • Before serving, remove the pressed veal head from the mould and cut 8 slices about 5 mm thick into fine cubes.

Serving

  • Place the asparagus in the middle of the plate, place the veal head cubes, chanterelles and pearl onions on top and garnish with the tarragon tips and mini-basil leaves. Pour the beer-Hollandaise over the asparagus at the table.

Tip

You can also use the recipe for green asparagus. Green asparagus is not another type of asparagus. It is like a sibling of white asparagus stalks that were not allowed to grow under the ground, but on the surface of the earth. Photosynthesis gives the asparagus its green colour. Its taste is slightly heartier than that of its relatives that grow underground.

Source of recipe: Christian Jürgens | WeltGenussErbe Bayern. This recipe first appeared on www.weltgenusserbe.eu. There you will also find other recipes that Christian Jürgens created especially for WeltGenussErbe Bayern. You can find more information about the partnership under Partners.
Source of image: WeltGenussErbe Bayern.