Grilled Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

Even among seasoned home chefs, Hollandaise sauce is often regarded, in a hierarchy of complex tasks, as being somewhere near open-heart surgery or transmuting lead into gold. My first efforts met with spectacular, but entirely predicable, ruin. Melted butter and whisked egg yolks fussed over until the whole broken mess seemed to be composed largely of sweat and human disappointment. That was Hollandaise to me.

The microwave is the bluntest of kitchen instruments but it makes this sauce like a dream. Yes, the microwave. The guilty resuscitator of limp leftovers is your ticket to easy egg emulsion sauces. Hollandaise is a combination of fat and protein, whipped at temperature into a glossy, smooth and firm sauce. If you can make a Hollandaise then you can make Béarnaise or Choron. If you can make Hollandaise then you can really cook. The secret to making egg emulsion sauces in the microwave is timing. Never cook it for more than 10 seconds at a time. Also, keep a few ice cubes in a bowl nearby. If the sauce starts to break and separate into a two-toned, fibrous looking horror show then throw in an ice cube and whip like you have never whipped before. Chances are you will be able to save it. This recipe scales up nicely but is described below in a smallish quantity just to make it manageable. This should make enough sauce to top four generous serving of grilled asparagus or about 2 pounds.

Instructions

1. Place the butter in a microwave safe bowl or, better yet, a medium sized Pyrex measuring cup with a handle. Microwave the butter until it is melted but not boiling.
2. Add all of the remaining ingredients and whisk or beat vigorously. What you want to avoid is scrambling the eggs. If the butter is too hot then the eggs may begin to set up rather than bind with the butter and emulsify.
3. Return the vessel to the microwave and cook for 10 seconds (maybe a little less depending on the power of your unit).
4. Remove the vessel and whip. Don’t forget about the ice cubes if it starts to break.
5. Continue to microwave for 10 second intervals until the sauce is shiny and thick. It should take less than 60 seconds total “cook” time. You really will know it when you see it. One second you will have egg butter soup and the next second you will have velvety Hollandaise sauce. Now, spoon it over lightly grilled asparagus and you are good to go. The asparagus should be prepared very simply. Snap the tough ends off of each stalk then rinse them. Grill the asparagus for about six minutes over medium heat. It is not unheard of for frustrated chefs to openly weep when they realize how easy this is. Go ahead; let it out.