It can easily be made with green asparagus and regular butter instead of the truffle butter. I simply had some really flavorful truffle butter from my friends Pauline and Alex in Switzerland, and thought this was a nice way to use it.
Happy spring!
~ David
White Asparagus Gratin
1 pound white (or green) asparagus
a few sprigs of thyme
2 fresh bay leaves (1 dried)
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons truffle (or plain) butter, plus extra for the pan
1/2 cup broken plain crackers
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to boil. Trim the asparagus and peel it, leaving the tips and about 1 inch unpeeled. Reserve the peels. Place the asparagus in the boiling water, reduce heat and simmer for 7 minutes. While the asparagus is cooking, grease a gratin dish liberally with butter. When the asparagus is done, drain and arrange in the gratin dish. Set aside.
Place asparagus peels, thyme, and bay leaves in a small saucepan. Add milk, bring to a boil, then remove from heat and set aside to steep for 10 minutes.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Strain the herbed milk into the butter and flour mixture, and cook over medium heat until béchamel sauce is thick. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Pour the béchamel over the asparagus.
Melt the truffle butter in a small skillet; crush the cracker crumbs and add to the butter. Season well with pepper. Cook a minute or two, until the cracker crumbs take on some color. Sprinkle them over the béchamel sauce, and bake for 20 minutes until bubbling and golden.
Serves 2 as a main course, or 4 as a side dish.
