Baked Asparagus with Orange and Mustard Sauce

Peel the asparagus well and remove the woody end well, preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Cut 8 slices from the orange. The asparagus comes in 2 portions in the oven, so divide the asparagus in half.

Spread the aluminum foil in the middle with butter, live two orange slices on it, pour a little salt and a pinch of sugar on top and put a sprig of thyme on top. Then put the first half of the asparagus on top, put two orange slices on top again, add a little salt and sugar and put a sprig of thyme on top again.

Now the aluminum packet is tightly closed, if necessary a second piece can be used as an aid. Please make sure that the packet is airtight, but not too tightly closed, there should be a small air cushion so that the asparagus can cook well in the steam. Now put it in the oven for about 30 - 45, depending on the thickness of the asparagus - on the middle rail.

Finely rub the peel of an orange. Then peel the orange with a knife so that no white skin can be seen and then cut out the fillets. Squeeze the other 4 oranges.

Heat some butter in a saucepan, fry the shallot and garlic until translucent, then deglaze with the vegetable stock and orange juice and reduce to about half. Now season with salt and pepper and a little Espelette pepper. Already add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard.

Now reduce the temperature, the sauce should no longer boil. Now stir in ice-cold butter in cubes, until the desired consistency is achieved. Sometimes more, sometimes less, some like the sauce thicker, others a little thinner.

Now season again to taste. Finally fold in the orange zest, thyme and orange fillets.

Take the asparagus packets out of the oven, open them (the smell is brilliant and the taste only - if you boil asparagus in water you have a lot of taste in the water, here it stays in the asparagus) and arrange the asparagus on plates.

If you like, you can add the stock from the asparagus packets to the sauce, but then it should be seasoned again. Now pour the sauce over the asparagus.