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Asparagus "en petit pois"

As the name suggests, this historic recipe (see below for more details) treats asparagus like peas, Napoleonic French style: first cooked the usual way, then cut small (to look like peas), cooked again in stock, and finished with a cream and egg yolk sauce.

31K 3.7/5 based on 7 reviews

Last modified on: May 2^nd 2021

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For 4 people, you will need:

1 800 g Asparagus
2 30 g butter
3 100 ml Vegetable stock
4 100 ml liquid cream
5 2 egg yolks
6 2 pinches grated nutmeg
7 chives
8 salt
9 pepper
Total weight: 1,070 grams

Change to the quantities for: 2 people 4 people 8 people 12 people

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How long will it take?

Time required for this recipe:

Preparation	Cooking	Start to finish
31 min.	11 min.	42 min.

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Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - 20 min.

Prepare and cook 800 g Asparagus in a large pan of salted water until barely tender, but still slightly firm. Do not overcook.

If they are too long, cut them in half.

Stage 2 - 5 min.

Drain, cool under running cold water, then drain again.

Stage 3 - 5 min.

Cut the asparagus into small pieces the size of peas (obviously).

Stage 4

Prepare all the asparagus like this, transferring the cut pieces onto a cloth to dry.

Stage 5 - 3 min.

Put a large saucepan on medium heat and melt 30 g butter.

When hot, add the asparagus, salt, pepper and mix well.

Stage 6 - 4 min.

Add 100 ml Vegetable stock and leave to simmer until the stock had almost completely evaporated.

Stage 7 - 1 min.

Add i100 ml liquid cream and 2 egg yolks. Mix well.

Stage 8 - 4 min.

Leave on low heat to thicken gently.

Stage 9

Serve in small individual dishes.

Remarks

You can use chicken stock instead of the vegetable stock.

This recipe takes its inspiration from Jean-Claude Brisville's play "Le Souper " (The Supper), which shows a supper – possibly imagined – shared by Fouché (Napoleon's chief of police) and Talleyrand (Napoleon's crafty chief diplomat) on the eve of the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in 1815.

Talleyrand is hosting in sumptuous style, his personal cook Antonin Carème is in the kitchen, and among the dishes on the menu is "Asperges en petits pois", for which he gives Fouché the recipe, saying it comes from a certain Monsieur de Cussy (Chief Steward of the imperial household under Napoleon, then under Louis XVIII).
It's a terrific historical drama (you can watch an extract here and test your French!), which was later made into an excellent film.

And to drink?

I suggest a nice Valençay, either white or red, whichever you prefer, to enter properly into the spirit of Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, known simply as Talleyrand.

Keeping

Should be eaten immediately.

Source

Home made, based on Jean-Claude Brisville's play "Le Souper".

Nutritional information

Whole recipe
Energetic value	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
1,384 Kcal or 5,795 Kj	38 gr	83 gr	100 gr
69 %	15 %	8 %	15 %

Per 100 g
Energetic value	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
129 Kcal or 540 Kj	4 gr	8 gr	9 gr
6 %	1 %	1 %	1 %

Per person
Energetic value	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
346 Kcal or 1,449 Kj	10 gr	21 gr	25 gr
17 %	4 %	2 %	4 %

% are calculated relative to a Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI of 2000 k-calories or 8400 k-joules by day for a woman (change to a man).

Possible allergens in this recipe: Milk, Celery, Egg

How much will it cost?

For 4 people : 5.38 £
Per person : 1.35 £

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.

This recipe uses (among others)

	Asparagus: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Asparagus and spinach gratin, White asparagus salad, Creamy asparagus and meat timbale, Filet mignon with asparagus, How to prepare asparagus, ... All
	Liquid cream: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Chocolate sauce, Spicy mustard cauliflower cheese, Apricot blancmange, Fresh mint ice-cream, Chilli langoustines, ... All
	Vegetable stock: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Provençal braised carrots, Pea risotto "Mantecare", Late Winter Soup with Fresh Spinach, Chinese Soup, Sausages with baked beans, French style, ... All
	Butter: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: "Moelleux" cake batter, Cramique, Sauce Normande (for fish), Butter cream, Polenta with spinach and soft-poached egg, ... All

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