Asparagus gratin

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 1 ½ kg asparagus, white
• Salt
• pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 6 thin veal escalopes (or pork escalopes), each approx. 100 g
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 tbsp water
• 250 g butter, clarified butter
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 100 g cheese (Gouda), medium-aged, for sprinkling
• possibly sage if needed

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

with veal escalopes and hollandaise sauce

Peel the asparagus and cook in about 1 liter of boiling, lightly salted water with sugar. Flatten the schnitzel slightly if necessary. Heat the oil. Fry the meat over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper. Prepare the hollandaise sauce (in a pinch, a ready-made product will work; I recommend “Sauce Hollandaise” from Meggle, but homemade tastes much better). Melt the butter over gentle heat; it should only be lukewarm and not brown. Beat the egg yolks with water and a pinch of salt in a 60°C to 70°C water bath with a whisk or an electric mixer until white and thick. Then beat in the melted butter a teaspoon at a time, making sure the whey protein remains. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a few drops of lemon juice. Season the sauce with the remaining lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper and serve immediately. Tip: It’s a bit easier if you use clarified butter instead of butter. Clarified butter no longer contains whey protein, so you only need 200–220 g of clarified butter. Finely grate the cheese. Drain the asparagus. Top each schnitzel half with asparagus and fold it together. Place in a shallow ovenproof dish. Spread the sauce over it and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 10 minutes. Wash the sage, cut it into strips, and sprinkle it on top. Serve immediately. Serve with new potatoes or simply baguette.