Grilled Asparagus with Sauce Maltaise

Name: Grilled Asparagus with Sauce Maltaise
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 30 spears asparagus, trimmed; Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling; Salt flakes, to taste; 3 egg yolks; 1.5 tablespoons strained blood orange juice; 0.5 tablespoon strained lemon juice; 125g butter

Spring brings so many wonderful ingredients together, including two of my favourites: new season asparagus and blood oranges. And I love combining them in this dish of grilled asparagus with sauce Maltaise. Being one of the classic ‘mother sauces’ of French cuisine, Hollandaise (a warm emulsification of eggs, butter and lemon juice) is the foundation for many variations, including sauce Maltaise (Maltese sauce) in which some of the lemon juice is replaced by the juice of blood oranges. Why Maltese? I can only assume that Malta, like neighbouring Sicily, is famous for its blood oranges. You can create a richer sauce that will hold more butter by hand whisking chilled butter into the egg yolks over a bain marie, but I like this quick and easy method using a blender. With a further nod to spring, garnish with edible flowers, like nasturtiums, if you like. With this orange sauce, I find a happy match in an orange wine, Esoterico from Unico Zelo in the Adelaide Hills. See video below to learn how to make pistou, another classic French sauce that’s delicious with raw or grilled vegetables.

Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients

30 spears asparagus
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Salt flakes, to taste

Sauce Maltaise

3 egg yolks
1½ tablespoons strained blood orange juice (30ml)
½ tablespoon strained lemon juice (30ml)
125g butter (4½oz)
Salt flakes, to taste

Method

Trim the ends off the asparagus spears (save the ends to make this delicious chilled asparagus soup).
Toss asparagus with a generous drizzle of oil so they’re well coated.
Cook on a ridged barbecue plate of char-grill pan for a few minutes, turning occasionally, until they have grill marks all over.
Meanwhile, make Sauce Maltaise: combine yolks and half the blood orange juice. Melt butter and, while it’s still hot, pour it into the blender with the motor running, leaving behind the milky residue in the bottom of the pan. Blend in remaining blood orange juice, lemon juice and salt.
Transfer asparagus to a platter, sprinkle with salt and top with Sauce Maltaise.