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Post by billhammond on May 28, 2015 22:25:12 GMT -5
Barb and I ronday-vooed in downtown Mpls this afternoon for a Strib-sponsored gathering to celebrate the Minn Orchestra's recent trip to Cuba, and as long as we were downtown, decided to have dinner at a fabulous Austro/Hungarian place that is not cheap, but who needs mortgage money, I say. We had as a side dish some incredible steamed white asparagus (did you know it's rated like bonds? -- this was AAA asparagus from Holland) with Hollandaise flecked with Hungarian paprika. My main dish was lamb chops, Barb's was a rabbit/spaetzle dish, both fabulous, but what we shared for dessert might have been the most memorable: white asparagus ICE CREAM with roasted strawberries on the side, a little balsamic and basil leaves. OMG, it was so amazingly good.
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Dub
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May 28, 2015 23:32:58 GMT -5
Post by Dub on May 28, 2015 23:32:58 GMT -5
I have to say that sounds wonderful. Makes me long for a city with actual food.
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May 29, 2015 10:08:33 GMT -5
Post by PaulKay on May 29, 2015 10:08:33 GMT -5
Germany is really big on white Asparagus. Got a 15 minute talk by a guy in Germany on how it is grown and why it is so much better. Then went to dinner there that night and had what really was the best asparagus I ever had.
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Post by Lonnie on May 29, 2015 10:31:35 GMT -5
While asparagus ice cream has never been high on my list of MHBID (must have before I die), it does remind me that I have an ice cream maker that produces pretty good results. Maybe this is the summer to get into some serious experimentation. See you at Weight Watchers in the fall.
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May 29, 2015 10:42:38 GMT -5
Post by billhammond on May 29, 2015 10:42:38 GMT -5
The asparagus flavor was VERY subtle, and really nice. It was all part of SPARGELFEST at this eatery, explained thusly:
Every spring throughout Bavaria, Austria and much of Central Europe, the arrival of giant, beautiful white asparagus in the markets marks the end of the bitter winter and the arrival of warm days. To celebrate, restaurants throughout the region offer a special “spargel karte,” or asparagus menu, with dishes highlighting this delicacy of spring.
Although we are often used to seeing green asparagus in the United States, in Europe white asparagus is preferred and is more commonly served in restaurants. The flavor is delicate, sweet and grassy. White asparagus starts out as the same vegetable as the green, but through a process known as etiolation, dirt is used to cover the asparagus, depriving it of light and the ability to produce chlorophyll that normally would turn it green.
The white asparagus we are serving to you today is imported from Europe, primarily Holland and Germany, and is the finest AAA grade available. The green asparagus is grown for us by a small family farm in Indiana. It arrives to us less than twenty-four hours after picking. This menu is inspired by our travels through Bavaria in spring. At this time of year we celebrate the change of season, the arrival of asparagus and the first anniversary of Brasserie Zentral.
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May 29, 2015 10:55:15 GMT -5
Post by RickW on May 29, 2015 10:55:15 GMT -5
Don't think we've ever had the white stuff. We eat lots of green. Now I'm curious. Sounds like an amazing dinner.
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May 29, 2015 11:44:53 GMT -5
Post by Doug on May 29, 2015 11:44:53 GMT -5
Kind of like white gators in NYC sewers.
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Dub
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I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
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Post by Dub on May 29, 2015 11:55:05 GMT -5
We've had white asparagus here. Fiddlerina lived in Germany for five years and remembered it fondly. When we found some here we picked it up and used it in a couple of meals. It was nice.
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May 29, 2015 11:59:48 GMT -5
Post by david on May 29, 2015 11:59:48 GMT -5
Bill, that dessert is certainly exotic by my standards and I cannot imagine the flavor. Asparagus, vinegar, ice cream and basil is an odd combination. I would love to try it though. I am currently enjoying my plain old vine ripe strawberries.
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Post by billhammond on May 29, 2015 12:15:55 GMT -5
Bill, that dessert is certainly exotic by my standards and I cannot imagine the flavor. Asparagus, vinegar, ice cream and basil is an odd combination. I would love to try it though. I am currently enjoying my plain old vine ripe strawberries. It was as mellow as can be, and the flavors merged beautifully. Cream is a great equalizer.
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May 29, 2015 20:51:06 GMT -5
Post by coachdoc on May 29, 2015 20:51:06 GMT -5
Def: spar':gul. Unusually aromatic urine.
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Post by Village Idiot on May 29, 2015 21:35:09 GMT -5
I've never had white asparagus. Does it make your pee smell funny?
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May 30, 2015 11:53:27 GMT -5
Post by Marshall on May 30, 2015 11:53:27 GMT -5
I have to say that sounds wonderful. Makes me long for a city with actual food. It amazes me that Iowa, which raises most of the food for our country, can only come up with Made Rites and deep fried elephant ear sandwiches as local cuisine.
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Dub
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May 30, 2015 12:16:22 GMT -5
Post by Dub on May 30, 2015 12:16:22 GMT -5
I think California is our nation's biggest agricultural state. Crops in Iowa are mostly for animal food. We're a big egg producer and pork production is pretty high. So… sausage and eggs then.
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May 30, 2015 12:26:54 GMT -5
Post by Doug on May 30, 2015 12:26:54 GMT -5
I think California is our nation's biggest agricultural state. Crops in Iowa are mostly for animal food. We're a big egg producer and pork production is pretty high. So… sausage and eggs then. Yeah but the biggest agricultural crop in CA is pot.
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May 30, 2015 13:38:11 GMT -5
Post by Chesapeake on May 30, 2015 13:38:11 GMT -5
It's amazing what a dash of balsamic will do for a dish. One of the chefs at my most excellent B&B (Chester A. Arthur House) introduced it to me in the form of stripes over grilled pear. Wizardry!
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May 30, 2015 14:00:09 GMT -5
Post by RickW on May 30, 2015 14:00:09 GMT -5
It's amazing what a dash of balsamic will do for a dish. One of the chefs at my most excellent B&B (Chester A. Arthur House) introduced it to me in the form of stripes over grilled pear. Wizardry! Don, that, with a bit of lightly crisped prosciutto, is to die for.
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May 30, 2015 14:33:01 GMT -5
Post by epaul on May 30, 2015 14:33:01 GMT -5
White asparagus is the "veal"* of the asparagus world. White asparagus is just regular asparagus that has been grown in such a way that no sunlight is allowed to reach the growing spear. Traditionally this is done by heaping lots of mulch over the growing plant. More common now is the use of black plastic or a dark plastic tub.
No photosynthesis is allowed to occur, hence no green coloration (and fewer vitamins). Traditionally prepared white asparagus may often taste milder than normal green asparagus, this is because traditionally prepared white has been peeled (which removes a good portion of the few remaining vitamins). Unpeeled, white asparagus has a more bitter skin than green asparagus.
(with several vegetables, a good portion of the vitamins are located in a thin layer just under the skin. Peeling this thin layer can remove 30-50 percent of the total available vitamins. Usually, there are so many good nutrients, it doesn't matter if some are lost. Just eat a little more, which may be easier if like veggies peeled. But if you peel potatoes, do so thinly.)
*Veal calves are raised in tight, dark confinement pens. I don't have many standards, but I won't eat veal, ever. I will eat white asparagus. And chickens, which I classify as a vegetable with feet. One of the dumber vegetables.
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