Asparagus on Toast

A short, assured set of directions that assumes you already know how to make hollandaise and how to judge an asparagus spear. Two details carry the dish: the cooking time and the moistened toast.

• "Boil until part tender"This means just short of fully done — the spear should bend slightly but not droop. In practice 3-5 minutes in well-salted boiling water for medium spears, less for thin ones. Some cookbooks of the period call for 15-20 minutes or more, which gives a much softer result; the reason for the shorter cooking here is not stated, though the spears go on to sit on toast under sauce.
• Tying in bunchesKitchen twine around eight or ten spears, tied twice, lets you lift the whole lot out at once without breaking tips. The older reason was to stand the bundles upright so the tough ends boiled while the tips steamed; if your spears are of even thickness, laying them flat in a wide pan is simpler.
• TrimmingSnap or cut off the woody base rather than trimming to a fixed length first — the fibrous portion varies by spear. Trim to equal lengths after.
• Asparagus liquorThe cooking water. Spoon a little over the toast before the butter so the bread softens and takes on the flavour; save the rest for soup. Do not soak the toast through, or it will not hold the spears.
• The toastCut thick, toasted dark enough to stand up to moisture. White sandwich bread will turn to paste; use a firm country loaf or a good pain de mie.
• Sauce HollandaiseNot given here, on the assumption you have it elsewhere in the book. Standard proportions are 3 egg yolks, a tablespoon of water and a squeeze of lemon whisked over gentle heat, then 6-8 oz melted butter added slowly. Keep it below 160F or it scrambles; hold it barely warm, never hot.
• YieldRoughly a pound of asparagus and four slices of toast serves four as a first course, two as a light supper.