Shopping List
- 8 cups salted water, boiling
- 1 lb. fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
- 3 Tbsp. butter, divided
- 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced or julienne
- 1 cup water chestnuts, julienne
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 Tbsp. heavy cream
- 1/2 Tbsp. almond extract
- 1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Instructions
- Trim asparagus spears (snapping or peeling) to get rid of the woody ends.
- Bring salted water to a boil and blanch the spears for twenty seconds. Immediately drain and submerge in ice water to prevent further cooking. Drain the spears again and set aside.
- In a saucepot, melt 2T butter over medium-high heat. Sauté the mushrooms until they begin to color, about two minutes. Add the water chestnuts and season with salt and white pepper, continuing to sauté until the water chestnuts are heated.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, heavy cream and almond extract.
- Add the cream mixture to the saucepot, heating until warm. Remove from heat and cover.
- In a skillet, melt the remaining 1T of butter over medium-high heat. Sauté the blanched and drained asparagus spears over medium-high heat until they begin to caramelize.
- Arrange the spears in a serving dish, drizzling with the warm cream sauce and garnishing with the toasted almonds. Serve immediately.