White sovereign

Possessing a mild, buttery flavour with hints of hazelnut, white asparagus is more mature, which gives it an al dente texture for added crunch, while the green genus tends to have a ‘grassy’ flavour, because of its chlorophyll content, and can be slightly bitter. The spears are graded by size—the thicker, the better, in contrast to the choicely slim green asparagus—and are best steamed to retain its exquisite flavour. The outer layer must be peeled to expose more tender, saporous flesh.

To cook them evenly, Saint Pierre’s new chef de cuisine Arnaud Tabarec reveals a tip: tie the bunch together with a rubber band and steam them with their heads sticking out of water. The boiling water cooks the body, which has a thicker fibrous outer layer, while steam cooks the head, which is very soft and tender, with no fibres, achieving a perfectly cooked shoot.

Excerpt from the April issue of epicure.