Asperges du Val de Loire

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The Loire Valley’s white asparagus (asperge blanche) is one of France’s great seasonal vegetables — grown in the sandy alluvial soils along the Loire and Cher rivers (particularly around Vineuil and Contres in the Loir-et-Cher), harvested from April to mid-June, and prepared with a reverence that elevates a simple spear into a ceremonial first course. White asparagus is grown entirely underground, the beds mounded high with earth so the spears never see sunlight and thus never develop chlorophyll — producing a pale ivory to cream-colored spear that is sweeter, more delicate, and more buttery than its green counterpart. The harvesting technique is precise: each spear is cut individually below the surface with a special curved knife (gouge à asperges) when the tip just begins to crack the earth’s surface, at a length of 17-22cm. The canonical preparation is simplicity itself: the spears are peeled from just below the tip to the base with a vegetable peeler (essential — the outer fiber is tough and bitter), tied in bundles of 6-8 with kitchen string, and boiled upright in deep salted water for 12-18 minutes depending on thickness. The tips should protrude above the water line and cook by steam while the thicker bases cook in the boiling water — this ensures both end up tender simultaneously. The asparagus is served warm (never hot, never cold) with one of three Loire sauces: a classic vinaigrette with Dijon mustard; a mousseline sauce (hollandaise lightened with whipped cream); or simply with melted Touraine butter, a squeeze of lemon, and fleur de sel.

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