Asparagus with mushrooms and poached egg
Be careful when cutting and cooking the mushrooms: you want perfect round discs for this. Fry any misshapen or broken pieces separately and serve on the side.
4 people
Serving size
Ingredients
24 asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed and discarded
120g unsalted butter
6 large portobello mushrooms, sliced horizontally into 2mm-thick rounds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
5g thyme sprigs
Salt and black pepper
10g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
4 eggs, poached just before serving
½ tsp truffle oil
Method
- Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and blanch the asparagus for three to four minutes, until al dente. Strain, refresh under cold water and set aside.
- Melt half the butter in a large saute pan on a medium heat. Add half the mushrooms, garlic and thyme, plus a pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper, and fry for 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden-brown at the edges and cooked. Transfer to a plate and keep warm, and repeat with the remaining butter, mushrooms, garlic and thyme, seasoning again. Once all the mushrooms are cooked, keep them warm.
- Leave any excess butter in the pan and, on a medium heat, gently saute the asparagus and tarragon with a pinch of salt for a minute, tossing a few times, just to warm through. Divide between four plates, then lay the mushroom discs over the spears. Scatter over the garlic and thyme and top with a poached egg. Drizzle over any butter from the pan, add a grind of pepper and a few drops of truffle oil, and serve at once.