Asaparagus with Quails Eggs Chosen from Maze by Jason Atherton, he says "Asparagus is one of our world-class ingredients that we eagerly await in May. No sooner has it arrived than its short season is over, so we always make the most of it. I learnt this pink grapefruit reduction from Ferran Adria – it stimulates the taste buds and enables you to fully appreciate the flavour of the asparagus."

Serves 4

    2 bunches of English asparagus, about 500g
    Sea salt and black pepper
    1 pink grapefruit
    3 medium egg yolks
    2 tbsp hollandaise reduction
    250g warm clarifies butter
    Pinch of sugar (optional)
    8 quail’s eggs
    Few knobs of butter

For the Pink grapefruit reduction (makes about 50ml)
   
    100ml freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice

For the Candied grapefruit zest (makes about 180g)
   
    2 large grapefruit
    200ml grapefruit juice
    100g caster sugar

For the Hollandaise reduction
   
    150ml white wine vinegar
    7 white peppercorns
    2 tarragon sprigs
    2 shallots, peeled and finely diced

To serve
   
    Baby chard leaves

Method

Make the pink grapefruit reduction first. Pass the grapefruit juice through a fine sieve, pressing the pulp with the back of a spoon, into a pan. Boil until the juice has reduced to a thick, syrupy consistency. Allow to cool, then store in a squeezy bottle until ready to use.

To make the candied grapefruit zest, finely pare the zest from the grapefruit, using a vegetable peeler, then cut off any white pith from it. Slice the zest into very fine strips. Blanch in boiling water for a few seconds then refresh in cold water. Repeat twice, then drain well. Put the grapefruit juice and sugar in a pan and bring to a simmer. Add the zest strips and simmer very slowly for 1-1¼ hours until the zest is tender and sweet.

For the asparagus, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and have ready a bowl of iced water. Trim the spears and peel the lower part of the stalks. Add the asparagus to the boiling salted water and blanch for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain and immediately refresh in the iced water. Drain again and spread out on a clean tea towel.

Next, segment the grapefruit. Cut a slice off the top and bottom of the fruit, then slice off the skin and white pith. Holding the fruit over a sieve set on a bowl, cut out the segments, using a small sharp knife.  Squeeze out the excess juice from the membrane, then discard. Chop the grapefruit segments into smaller pieces and set aside.

To make the hollandaise reduction, place all the ingredients in a pan, bring to the boil and boil vigorously until the vinegar has reduced by two-thirds. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl and allow to cool completely. Chill if not using immediately.   

For the hollandaise sauce, put the egg yolks, 1½ tbsp hollandaise reduction and a pinch of salt into a heatproof glass bowl. Whisk until creamy, then place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and beat with a hand-held electric whisk until the mixture is thick and emulsified. (If the hollandaise becomes too thick, let it down with a little hot water) Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the diced grapefruit segments. Now taste and adjust the seasoning, adding a little sugar if the hollandaise is too tart. Keep the sauce warm by sitting the bowl in a larger bowl of hot water.

For the quail’s eggs, bring a wide pan of water to a simmer; you’ll need to poach them in two batches. Crack open the eggs and gently release into the water. Poach for 2 minutes until the whites have set but the yolks are still soft and runny. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with kitchen paper; keep warm while you cook the second batch. Reheat the asparagus in a pan of simmering water with some butter. Drain well and pat dry.

To serve, drizzle a little grapefruit reduction onto each warm serving plate. Arrange a bundle of asparagus on each plate with the poached quail’s eggs. Garnish with candied grapefruit zest and a few baby chard leaves. Serve the hollandaise sauce on the side.