Beautifully fresh and zesty lighter option - asparagus and orange together at last... lovely with crisp whites...

Ingredients

Serves 4 2 bunches white asparagus, peeled 1 ½ oranges, peeled & segmented 5 eggs 1 litre vegetable oil ½ cup fine bread crumbs ½ cup sifted flour Chervil or Italian parsley to garnish Beurre Blanc: 50ml white wine vinegar 2 slices orange peel 50ml heavy cream 150g cold, cubed butter ½ orange chives Freshly ground pepper & salt

Method

In a deep pot heat the oil slowly. Carefully poach 4 of the eggs for 3-4 minutes till soft and put to one side to rest. Blanch the asparagus in some lightly salted boiling water till al dente (tender crisp) & drain. To crumb the eggs carefully coat in flour, then egg (1 egg lightly whisked) and finally in the bread crumbs. Gently lower into the oil with a spoon and fry till golden. A good way to test whether the oil is hot enough is to stick a wooden skewer into the oil and if bubbles form all around the object you are ready to go. Alternatively you can pop in a cube of bread, when it starts to sizzle it's ready. Once the egg is golden, remove & place on paper towel to drain. Place vinegar in a saucepan with the orange peel. Reduce by half & then add cream. Reduce by half again & then whisk in butter. Remove peel and squeeze the juice from the final half orange and stir in the chives. Season. To serve, arrange the asparagus and orange segments on each plate along with an egg each and drizzle with the orange beurre blanc. Garnish with some chopped chervil or parsley & season to your taste. Enjoy! Recipe provided by: