New-York tribune., 1908-06-30
COOKING ASPARAGUS.
Several Recipes Recommended by Famous
Cooks-How to Select This Vegetable.

Cooks-HoW to Select Th1s VeSetdoie.
Dietitans say that asparagus contains rnucn hu
trment is very digestible and easily assnnilateo'
even by invaids though it is not good for persons
with equity tendency.
When selecting this vegetable remember that IL
the cut end is brown and dry and the heads bent
toward side it is stale. OF course asparagus IS
at its best when fresh from the garden. put II
can be kept fairly well for one or two days oy
setting the lower part of the stalks In cold water
There are several good ways to cook asparagus
Ordinary boiled asparagus may be served with
hollandaise, moUsseline drawn butter vinasre''e.
maltese If the vegetable Is OF
especially fine quality. it is delicious merely sea-
soned and served toast that has been moist
ened with melted butter and little Of the as
paragus liquor-the water it cooked in Be
fore cooking remove a small part-about an inch
the lower end of ca h stalk. where it is hard
and Wash the stalks carefully and tie
them together again in bundles. Some COOKS let
asparagus lie in cold water for little while be-
fore cooking Others believe that the kettle used
for boiling should be deep enough to allow the
bundles of asparagus TO stand up straight This
keeps the tender tips, which cook 50 much quicker
than the stalks. out Of water. Still other cooks
keep the tips of the vegetable out of water for
only the first ten minutes of cooking The color
of the vegetable is generally supposed to keep
better if the smallest possible pinch of baking soda
be added to the water. Let the vegetable cook
twenty minutes or till tender. not till soft or
spongy Instead Of tying in bundle. the vegetable
may be cut in inch pieces, then the tips. as they
get DONE may be removed from the water before
the other pieces.
A certain French chef treats boiled asparagus
follows: After draining the vegetable set il in
with minced parsley and hard boiled egg
yolk mixed together. Then over the rows sprinkle
fine bread crumbs combined with brown butter in
the proportion of of crumbs to four
ounces of butter.
ASPARAGUS AND CHEESE.
A Flemish custom is to serve boiled asparagus
with hot. hard boiled egg. crushed. and
of melted butter This is enough for persons
Asparagus is often cooked with Parmesan cheese.
The following is Escofier's way to serve it: Boil
the vegetable usual DRAIN put it long
buttered dish sprnkled with grated Parmesan
cheese. arrange it in rows and sprinkle the heads
with some of the grated cheese Just before serv-
ing cover the cheese sprinkled parts copousIy
with drawn butter and then glaze slightly by
means of a salamander.
Delmonico's way Of serving asparagus with
cheese is called asparagus Ia Tessnoise.' Boil
two punches of asparagus for twelve minutes Put
in deep dish in layers with grated Swiss
Parmesan cheese between. Brown slightly a third
of chopped onion of medium size in of
butter Cover the contents of the dish with It,
Sprinkle the top with little cheese and fresh
bread crumbs then cook for fifteen minutes in a
moderate oven.
A slight variation of this rule leaves out the
onion and calls for a small cup of the water in
which the asparagus cooked. for mostenng.
Cook books often mention asparagus peas"
These are either the vegetable cut in dice or the
delicate tips of each stalk To serve asparagus in
dice is a convenient way of dressing the vegetable
when the stalks too small and young to ma Ike
a nice looking dish prepared in the usual way
Cut the stalks into dice only far down as they
are perfectly tender. Wash them and throw them
into plenty of boiling salted water. They will be
done in twelve minutes. Season well and
boil them once in a cream and serve.
A French way of serving them in this sauce is
the following: For and half pints of peas"
have ready two or three gills of melted butter a
teaspoonfuI of powdered sugar a pinch of salt
two yolks of eggs and a half gill of cream After
boiling the peas in water till tender drain and
mix them with the butter sugar and salt. then
thicken with the egg yoks and cream.
The tender tips of the asparagus stalks NAV be
served in a number of dainty ways. and the coarser
part of the stalks used in a good soup For this
SOUP have ready a bunch of asparagus a dozan
pepper cones a teaspoonful of salt, two tablespoon
fuls of butter tablespoonfuls of -four half a
cup of cream and three pints of white stock or
water If water is used fry onion in butter and
add to it. Stock is generally favored with vege-
tables and will not need such addition. Remove
the tins of the asparagus and lay them aside and
boil the remainder of the bunch with the pepper
cones and salt i'll the stock water. Let the vege
table cook half hour. then strain through a
puree sieve. letting all the soft pulp of the
asparagus pass through that WILL but none of the
harder fibre. Return the strained soup to the fire
and add the butter and -four gradually. mixing il
at first with only a small quantity Of the liquid to
insure against Jumping. Let the soup cook six
minutes more. then add the cream. The soup may
be served with few of the peas stewed. or with
croutons.