Roasted Asparagus with Poached Eggs and Miso Butter
TIME/SERVINGS
Total: 20 mins
Active: 5 mins
Makes: 2 servings
From: Momofuku , by Adapted from David Chang
This recipe was given to us by David Chang of Momofuku in New York City after we fell head over heels for it during a visit there. Like so many things Chang does, this recipe is simple, exotic, and celebrates good-quality ingredients. Do chef proud and use the freshest asparagus and eggs you can find.
Game plan: If you’re a little wary of poaching eggs, check out our video tutorial.
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- 1 bunch thin green asparagus, bottom ends trimmed (about 1 pound)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 large poached eggs
- Heat the oven to 475°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Combine butter, miso paste, and sherry vinegar in a small bowl and stir until smooth. (Mixture will be thick.) Set aside.
- Place asparagus in a single layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet, coat with olive oil, and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place asparagus in the oven and roast until it is knife tender and lightly blackened, 12 to 15 minutes.
- To serve, place miso butter on plate, top with roasted asparagus, and a poached egg.
Beverage pairing: Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand. The herbal, grassy, vegetable greenness of Sauvignon Blanc is always a good match for the intense taste of asparagus. This wine has good body though, which means that it won’t be overwhelmed by the texture of the eggs or the miso flavor, if you use a strong one.
This recipe, while from a trusted source, may not have been tested by the CHOW food team.
COMMENTS | ADD YOUR OWN
yum, this was good.
It's nice to see that this doesn't have David Chang's not-so-secret inclusion of lard in the base. Can't wait to try it!
This was great! It took about 30 minutes from the time I put the vinegary water on for the eggs and started preheating the oven, to the time that we finished eating it. Maybe 35 minutes tops. I woke up the same time I usually do, but I started the oven and the poaching water at the same time as the teapot for coffee, so we were easily able to pull this off for breakfast in the allotted time.
The quantities of miso and butter can easily be cut in half (I figured this out by brute force, because I only had red miso lying around, so I made the butter on the side... but don't leave it out entirely because the umami and acidity from the miso butter plays marvelously into the egg yolk and the sweetness of the asparagus). Also, I tossed the asparagus, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a salad bowl from dinner last night, then grabbed handfuls of asparagus and laid them out onto the baking sheet. I was very surprised that a Trader Joe's package of 12oz. pencil-thick asparagus spears took up an entire jelly roll pan when laid side-by-side, but god damn were they good, roasted like this.
I have to confess that I didn't measure much of anything with spoons, but the quantities are very easy to eyeball, and if you toss the asparagus separately you don't have to worry about how much oil you use; the excess stays in the bowl.
The whole enterprise was elegantly simple and the results were delicious! We will definitely be making this one again.
ps. The eggs in the photo look really sloppy. If you follow Hal McGee's suggestions and use about 1 tablespoon of vinegar along with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt per quart of boiling water, you can just put the egg(s) into an espresso cup(s), tilt them into the strongly-simmering water, and come back in 4 minutes to find the whole thing perfectly formed and floating on top. It is a neat trick and one that more people should know about -- I wouldn't poach an egg in an egg-sized container these days unless you held a gun to my head. A properly poached egg is a thing of beauty (and it's mindlessly simple, to boot)!
We know, ttriche. Momofuku serves this dish in a very rustic, manner. For us, a picture-perfect poached egg would not pay correct tribute to the tasty dish and talented chef. Also, they slow-poach their eggs in the shell, which leads to a looser looking final product--we've tried to capture the spirit of it in this picture.
Those pursuing perfection, however, should check out our video tutorial on the subject:
http://www.chow.com/stories/10427
(Your trick sounds good too!)
Right on. Well, regardless, it tasted great and that's what matters.
Thanks for putting up this recipe, we really enjoyed it.
One of my favorite dishes for a quick lunch or an unusual side with dinner.
I've made this with grilled, baked and steamed asparagus.
All turned out great, though grilled asparagus provides the most complex flavors in the final dish. I use a ratio of 1:2 for miso paste to butter. It's too salty with a 1:1 ratio. I have never mixed vinegar in the miso butter. Gotta try that and see what happens.
dumb question- is miso paste vegetarian/vegan? I know miso soup sometimes has fish extract in it..
Hmm, inspired by David Chang, and no piggy?
I ditto the comment that half a recipe is more than enough for one bunch of asparagus. This is quick to whip together, and delicious.
For briaberger--miso itself is vegetarian--it's just soybeans, though miso soup often has a fish base.
Miso itself is vegan (like rosewater said), however this recipe is not vegan as there are eggs in it.
The eggs do not appear to me to be sloppy. The white seems set and the yolk looks soft. The recipe looks similar to what I do but use hollandaise and shaved Parmesan but I will try this recipe.
No one else has mentioned this, but I cannot figure out in the picture what is beneath the asparagus - a tortilla - or what?
JakeMaine: The miso butter is underneath everything.
I love receiving your recipes. I have yet to read where someone suggests, stirring the water before inserting an egg to be poached. I find together with the vinegar it keeps the egg together in a tight ball. Let me know if I am doing it wrong.
I forgot to mention in my last post that an addition of toasted sesame seeds goes well with roasted asparagus dish if you are inclined to experiment.
aidam - duh, i'm blushing - thank you!
aidam - duh, i'm blushing - thank you!
JakeMaine: You are right on with stirring the water before inserting the egg. Need the vinaigre (and perhaps salt also, as suggested above). I usually swirl the water with a whisk just before adding the eggs for poaching. Works for me. And it's how I was taught to do it at culinary school in Paris.