La Saison d'Asperge

May is the season of Asparagus in the valley of the Rhine river. In the weeks of late April, the natives begin to get a gleam in their eye and predict when the first sprouts will become available. Then, all of a sudden, the asparagus is everywhere. In the farmers markets, in the supermarkets, and in roadside stands. The employee services group even takes orders for delivery straight to the office.

This is not your common green asparagus. Rather, it is white or shades of pink. Seems that as the aparagus begins to sprout, the farmers mound dirt around it to prevent it from seeing the sunlight. The asparagus grows a bit more to reach the sun and the farmers pile a little more dirt to cheat it of it's goal. They continue this dance until the sprouts are 6 to 8 inches long and then the farmers harvest the asparagus, much like harvesting potatos I guess.

Seems that the lack of sunlight prevents the plants from turning green....kind of like a cauliflower. The result is a spear of white asparagus that is much milder in taste then the green variety. The locals seem to prefer this mild flavor. At any rate, you can see acres of asparagus being grown in the country side. Or more precisely, you can see the mounds of dirt or plastic over what is being grown.

Theresa and I were lucky enough to be invited to Bernard and Gabrielle Raulin's home for dinner one night. (Actually, this was the Sunday that Theresa returned from her Italian adventure.) The meal was a gourmand's dream. Boiled asparagus, sauce, and ham. And, of course, white wine.

Now, prior to coming to France I thought that gourmet meant a recipe that was complex with a million different ingredients and spices. In truth, the best food is normally just a few simple ingredients and is relatively easy to prepare. The secret is to find the perfect ingredients. Gabrielle did just that: White asparagus fresh from the farm, peeled and boiled to tenderness. A country ham from the village butcher. The sauce was a home-made mayonaise made by beating egg yolks, mustard, vinegar, and oil. To keep the sauce light, the left-over egg whites were beaten to a foam and then mixed with the mayonaise to make the final sauce.

Picture above is Gabrielle bringing the main course in from the kitchen. Picture below is the final product, ready to eat.