May 2010

Asparagus & Gabriel cheese gratin with herbed hazelnut crust and fried capers

This is the latest variation on a classic Paradiso dish that gets a run out every year at this time. It’s usually the first thing we make when asparagus shows up, and every year it changes just a little bit. Fried capers are delicious with asparagus, especially if you can the tiny ones, whether salted or brined, that have a much more concentrated and floral flavour.

The restaurant kitchen method of cooking each portion separately might seem a bit fiddly, but it really is the best way and, under a hot grill, each plate will take less than a minute to cook. You could also cook the whole lot together in one shallow oven dish. In which case, put just a little of the mustard sauce in the dish with the asparagus and hazelnut crust and keep the rest warm on the stove, and pour a little around each portion after plating.

This is a starter, but a rich one that can easily become a main course with a little fleshing out. Try putting some sliced cooked potato underneath the asparagus, and some thick slices of roast tomato too, if you’re that way inclined. Or simply serve some mash or new potatoes on the side and be a bit more generous with the mustard cream.