Garden Pea Asparagus Mousse Recipes

WARM ASPARAGUS AND HERB MOUSSES

Steps:

• Melt 25g (1oz) butter and grease six 150ml (5floz) ramekins and refrigerate them. Reserve 12 small asparagus spears for garnish and roughly chop the remainder. Finely chop the shallots.
• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the chopped asparagus or peas, cook for 4-5 min or until tender. Drain, plunge into iced water, drain again. Cook the reserved spears for 1-2min, cover and set aside. Place the chopped asparagus or peas in a food processor or blender with the eggs and yolks, process until smooth. Sieve and stir in the chopped herbs and 450ml (15fl oz) cream. Season well.
• Pour the asparagus mixture into the ramekins and place in a large roasting tin with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the tin loosely with foil.
• Cook at 180°C (350°F) mark 4 for 30-40min or until just set.
• Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, add the shallots and cook, stirring, for 10 min, until soft. Add the wine and stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 10min. Add the remaining cream, season and simmer for 10mm.
• To serve, reheat the asparagus spears in the hot sauce for 1min. Turn the ramekins out on to six heated plates and spoon round the sauce and asparagus spears. Garnish with chervil sprigs. Like this? You'll love... The best vegetarian recipes Quick salmon mousse Asparagus and mint couscous Easter recipes: your mix and match menu

GARDEN PEA & ASPARAGUS MOUSSE

Steps:

• Brush 6 dariole moulds (100 ml/ 31⁄2 fl oz capacity) with mild olive oil and line the bases with discs of baking paper. Shell the peas and trim away and discard the cut end of the asparagus. Chop the asparagus into short lengths and put in a steamer with the peas. Steam for 3-5 minutes until the asparagus and peas are just tender but still bright green. Put 6 tbsp of steamed peas into a small bowl, spoon over the 1 tbsp olive oil and set aside.
• Put the asparagus and the rest of the cooked peas in a food processor and whizz to a purée. Soften the gelatine in the wine or lemon juice in a small pan for 5 minutes, then put over a low heat until the gelatine is dissolved, stirring occasionally.
• Whisk the cream with the tarragon until it is thick but still glossy. Stir the gelatine into the purée and fold in the cream with plenty of salt and pepper. Divide the mixture between the moulds so they are three quarters full, then put in the fridge for 2-3 hours or until set.
• When ready to serve, run the blade of a small knife around the rim of the mousse and turn out each one on a small plate. Sprinkle the reserved peas around the base of each mousse and lay a tarragon sprig on top of each one. Drizzle a little more olive oil and a few dashes of balsamic vinegar over the peas. Serve straight away while still chilled.

ASPARAGUS, GREEN PEA, AND SCALLION SAUCE

Steps:

• Rinse the asparagus, snap off the tough bottom stub of each spear (and save; see the recipe that follows). Slice each spear crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces; if the spear is fatter than 1/2 inch, slice it lengthwise in half or quarters. You want the asparagus pieces to be approximately pea-size. Slice the spears to make 4 cupfuls.
• Pour 1/4 cup of the oil into the skillet, set over medium-high heat, and stir in the onions. After a minute or two, when the onions are gently sizzling, stir in the leek pieces and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cook for a minute, drop the peperoncino into a hot spot to toast briefly, then stir and cook until the leeks are hot and starting to wilt, 3 minutes or so.
• Dump in the green peas and stir with the other vegetables. Cover the pan, lower the heat, and let the vegetables cook, sizzling gently. Shake the pan frequently, uncover it occasionally, and adjust the heat as needed to make sure the onions aren't in danger of burning.
• After 6 minutes or more, when the onions are pale gold and the peas are softening, stir in the asparagus pieces and the scallions, then the butter and another 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour in 1/3 cup of water, and stir well to moisten everything.
• Bring the sauce to a slow simmer and keep it cooking, very slowly, over low heat, for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, and add spoonfuls of water to the sauce if it seems to be getting dry. The vegetables should become very soft but still retain their shape and identity the sauce as a whole should be moist and thick. When it's reached this stage, turn off the heat, and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the shredded mint leaves.
• Use right away or let it cool. The sauce can be refrigerated for several days. If frozen, the texture will change but the flavor will be fine it will keep for several weeks.
• Good With . . .
• Both dry and fresh pastas
• Gnocchi
• As a topping for polenta
• As a base for risotto
• Potato, Leek, and Bacon Ravioli (page 186)