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.
28K 6 3.8
Last modified on: May 2nd 2021
Keywords for this recipe:For 8 people, you will need:
- 1
6 ¾ cups asparagus - 2
1⁄3 cup butter - 3
1 cup Vegetable stock - 4
1 cup liquid cream - 5
4 egg yolks - 6
4 pinches grated nutmeg - 7
chives - 8
salt - 9
pepper
How long does it take?
Time required for this recipe:
| Preparation | Cooking | Start to finish |
|---|---|---|
| 31 min. | 11 min. | 42 min. |
At what time:
- When will I finish if I start the recipe at ... ?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at ... ? - Work this out...
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 20 min.
Prepare and cook 6 ¾ cups 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 1⁄3 cup 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 1 cup Vegetable stock and leave to simmer until the stock had almost completely evaporated.
Stage 7 - 1 min.
Add i1 cup 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
| Whole recipe | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 1,827 Kcal or 7,649 Kj | 58 gr | 76 gr | 142 gr |
| 91 % | 22 % | 7 % | 22 % |
| Per 100 g | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 85 Kcal or 356 Kj | 3 gr | 4 gr | 7 gr |
| 4 % | 1 % | <1 % | 1 % |
| Per person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 228 Kcal or 955 Kj | 7 gr | 10 gr | 18 gr |
| 11 % | 3 % | 1 % | 3 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 8 people : 12.81 €
- Per person : 1.60 €
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: White asparagus salad, Asparagus and spinach gratin, Filet mignon with asparagus, Creamy asparagus and meat timbale, How to prepare asparagus, ... All |
 | Vegetable stock: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Curried prawn risotto, Foie gras Chantilly , Sausages with baked beans, French style, Light Broccoli Soup, Mixed vegetable curry, ... All |
 | Liquid cream: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Involtinis, Grapefruit cake, Chocolate mousse with hazelnuts, Late Winter Soup with Fresh Spinach, Creamy asparagus and meat timbale, ... All |
 | Butter: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Chard and potato gratin, Cramique, Basic cake batter - the French way, Eggs Benedict , Sauce Normande (for fish), ... All |
Other recipes you may also like
Macarons (the original French macaroons)
This recipe really is "of the moment": the success of these small, highly-coloured cakes, in an infinite variety of flavours, is impressive. It's a recipe which needs some care, in order to produce a result worthy of a professional pastrychef. No problem, I will guide you through the recipe,...1.6M 714.6 2 hours 38 min. October 3rd 2019
Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream)
Quite similar to crème anglaise but much thicker. It is used in many pastries like choux pastry (pâte à choux) or millefeuille.734K 313.7 36 min. January 27th 2017
Tartiflette
A personal version of a classic recipe from Savoy.584K 14.6 1 hour 27 min. September 16th 2019
French croissants
In this famous and highly technical recipe from a piece of yeast-based flaky dough we are going to cut and shape ("roll") croissants.607K 24.4 2 hours 34 min. June 26th 2019
Hamburgers
Hamburgers don't have to be the greasy flabby things you find in fast-food outlets, well-made they can be excellent. It's a very convivial recipe as everything goes on the table, and everyone assembles their own burger according to personal taste.409K4.8 33 min. December 6th 2015
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-04-28)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post your 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.