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.
34 K 3.7/5 (7 reviews)
45 min.
Easy
8 people
9 IngredientsLast modified on: May 2nd 2021
For 8 people, you will need:
- 1
1 kg 600 g Asparagus - 2
60 g butter - 3
200 ml Vegetable stock - 4
200 ml liquid cream - 5
4 egg yolks - 6
4 pinches grated nutmeg - 7
chives - 8
salt - 9
pepper - Total weight: 2,140 grams
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 35 min.
Cooking: 15 min.
All in all: 45 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 20 min.
Prepare and cook 1 kg 600 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.
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 60 g butter.
When hot, add the asparagus, salt, pepper and mix well.
When hot, add the asparagus, salt, pepper and mix well.
Stage 6 - 4 min.
Add 200 ml Vegetable stock and leave to simmer until the stock had almost completely evaporated.
Stage 7 - 1 min.
Add i200 ml liquid cream and 4 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.
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
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 80 RDI=30 % | 170 RDI=20 % | 200 RDI=30 % | 2,770 RDI=140 % | 11,590 RDI: 140 % |
| Per 100 g | 3 RDI=1 % | 7 RDI=1 % | 9 RDI=1 % | 130 RDI=6 % | 540 RDI: 6 % |
| Per person | 9 RDI=4 % | 20 RDI=2 % | 30 RDI=4 % | 350 RDI=20 % | 1,450 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 8 people : 12.85 €
- Per person : 1.65 €
Change currency: 
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
Like these other recipes: Asparagus and spinach gratin, White asparagus salad, Creamy asparagus and meat timbale, Filet mignon with asparagus, How to prepare asparagus, ... See them all 5
Liquid cream
Like these other recipes: Sausage mushroom and cheese crumble, Langres-style spinach, Green beans "Napoléon", Blackberry and almond fondant tart, Creamy spaghetti with cockles and parsley, ... See them all 165
Vegetable stock
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Curried prawn risotto, Foie gras Chantilly , Sautéed Green Vegetables in pan, Mixed vegetable curry, Country vegetable soup, ... See them all 19
Butter
Like these other recipes: Kugelhof for Nanou, Brioche galette, Baker's apple soles, Potimarron (chestnut pumpkin) "au gratin", Creamy Comtoise artichoke gratin, ... See them all 451
Other recipes you may also like
Caramelised walnuts
These delicious nuts can be used in several cakes, but you can also put them on ice-cream, pancakes, fruit salad, or eat them just as they are.February 21th 2011365 K5 25 min.
Pistachio cream
Very similar to almond cream, pistachio cream is ideal for filling or topping all kinds of cakes and tarts. Just like almond cream, it swells during cooking.October 4th 2012299 K 64.1 35 min.
Ocean bread
The idea for this bread was inspired by an amusing coincidence: the proportion of salt needed for good bread is 35 g of salt per litre of water, which just happens to be the exact concentration of salt in the Atlantic Ocean. So it's possible to make bread using sea water to provide all the salt...October 24th 2017170 K 63.8 5 hours 7 min.
Chocolate ganache
A chocolate ganache is a mixture of cream and chocolate made while hot. This gives a kind of paste which solidifies somewhat as it cools but remains fairly soft. This is the filling used in many chocolates.January 25th 2022324 K 13.7 15 min.
How to fry eggs well
You've probably heard the expression: "S/he can't even cook an egg," suggesting that the person referred is a hopeless cook. In reality, frying eggs well isn't as easy as it might appear. The two most frequent errors: the white develops a brown crust around the outside which is unpleasant in the...March 11th 2018502 K 14.6 20 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-12-22)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.