Photos of Asparagus with Black Pudding, Cauliflower and White Truffle Puree, Poached Egg in Crispy Parma Ham Basket by Mario

This time we’re going to share with you our another Asparagus recipe. Hopefully, the variety of our recipes will show you that food has no boundaries – there’s so many ingredients, different in taste or texture, that can be matched together. And you have to admit, showing you the imaginative cooking by using Asparagus as an example is a hit!

Asparagus and truffle oil is a combination found in many recipes, as is cauliflower and truffle oil, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to put all three together. The addition of black pudding and poached egg brings different textures to the dish – your taste buds are in for great party!

This recipe may sound a bit more complex than the other ones, but don’t worry – it’s just a few things cooked separately before putting it all together. Our suggestion is to make yourself a checklist of what pans and kitchen utensils you need before you start.

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Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Serves 2

Recipe by Tom

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INGREDIENTS

• 6 slices Parma Ham
• 10 Asparagus spears
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 tbsp of white wine vinegar
• 150 g black pudding
• Small knob of butter
• Sea salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

For Cauliflower & Truffle Puree:

• 150 g cauliflower florets
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp white truffle oil
• Sea Salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

For Cauliflower & White Truffle Puree

1. Cut cauliflower florets in small pieces.
2. Cook Cauliflower in boiling water with a pinch of salt until soft (this should only take a few minutes), then take out and put straight into the blender. Keep the water, you can you use it to loosen the puree if too thick.
3. Put the rest of the ingredients into the blender, season with a pinch of salt and black pepper, blend until smooth.
4. If puree is too thick, loosen it with a few tbsp of cooking water, check the seasoning, blend again and it’s ready to use.

For Parma Ham Baskets

1. Take a flat tray, line with baking paper, place Parma Ham slices on the paper, put another layer of baking paper on and top with another matching tray.
2. Cook in pre-heated oven, 180 degrees Celsius for 6 minutes, then take out of the oven and put them over small ramekins, 3 slices each, overlapping diagonally – this will shape them into crispy cups while cooling down.

To finish

1. Boil two pans of water: first one with sea salt, the second one with white wine vinegar.
2. Snap the bottom ends of Asparagus off and discard them, then cut the spears in half, lengthwise.
3. Cook Asparagus for 2 minutes in the first pan. Take them out and set aside.
4. In the second pan, stir the water with a whisk to create a whirlpool, gently drop the eggs in and poach them for 4 minutes, then take the eggs out and set aside.
5. In the meantime heat up black pudding in a pan with a small knob of butter.
6. Take two plates. Put a table spoon of the puree in two opposite corners of each plate and swipe it across with a back the spoon.
7. Put half of black pudding in the centre of each plate, then place poached eggs on top.
8. Scatter the cooked Asparagus on and around the puree, season the dish with freshly cracked black pepper and enjoy 🙂

NOTES

• Parma Ham baskets can be used for something else, for example, if you’re preparing a finger buffet, you can serve a portion of salad in it.
• If you prefer your egg yolks cooked through, poach them for 8 minutes rather than 4.