Green asparagus with the Thermomix® is our Varoma-gratin hybrid. We steam the asparagus and potatoes at the same time while the sauce cooks below. In 30 minutes everything is ready: just layer and bake for 15 minutes.
The recipe works because we do not throw away the cooking liquid. The 600 g of vegetable stock from the mixing bowl goes straight into the sauce base. No separate stock to cook, no lumpy cornflour risk.
Gratin Green Asparagus with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 12 ✓
- 200 g Gouda medium-aged
- 1 bunch parsley
- 750 g waxy potatoes
- 800 g green asparagus
- 600 g vegetable stock
- 200 g crème fraîche
- 100 g double cream
- 35 g cornflour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 splash lemon juice
Instructions 0 / 10
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1
Chop the cheese.
Cut Gouda into pieces, add to the mixing bowl, chop for 10 sec / speed 5 and set aside.
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2
Chop the parsley.
Wash parsley, shake dry, add to the mixing bowl, chop for 5 sec / speed 5 and set aside.
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3
Peel the potatoes.
Peel potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces and place in the steamer basket.
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4
Prepare the asparagus.
Trim asparagus, peel the lower half of any thick spears and cut off the dry ends. Arrange the first spears in a cross, then layer the remaining spears on top in the Varoma bowl and Varoma tray.
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5
Cook the ingredients.
Add vegetable stock to the mixing bowl, hook in the steamer basket, place the Varoma on top and cook for 30 min / Varoma / speed 1.
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6
Layer the potatoes and asparagus.
Remove the Varoma, place asparagus in a baking dish, remove the steamer basket and
layer potatoes around the asparagus.
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7
Preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
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8
Cook the sauce.
Add crème fraîche, double cream, cornflour, salt, pepper, nutmeg and lemon juice to the cooking liquid and cook for 6 min / 120°C / speed 1.
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9
Add herbs to the sauce.
Add half the parsley to the sauce, season further if needed and mix for 5 sec / speed 3.
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10
Bake.
Scatter Gouda over the asparagus and potatoes, pour the sauce evenly over everything, sprinkle with the remaining parsley and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes.
Tip: For a heartier version, fry diced ham with onions and scatter over the asparagus before baking.
Nutrition per serving
Why green asparagus does not need peeling
Green asparagus has a thin, edible skin. We only peel the lower third of very thick spears. The reason: the plant stores bitter compounds at that point, especially towards the end of the season. For spears under 1 cm in diameter, trimming the dry ends is enough.
We check freshness at the shops like this: the spear must snap when bent, not flex. Fresh cut ends are moist, not dried out. If you rub two spears together and they squeak, that is a good sign. A sour smell means they are past their best.
30 minutes in the Varoma and the timing is spot on
We cook at Varoma temperature on speed 1. The 30 minutes are calculated for medium spear thickness (about 1 cm). Very thin spears are tender after 25 minutes, very thick ones need 35 minutes. The asparagus should be tender but still have a little bite.
The potatoes cook in the steamer basket below the Varoma. We cut them into bite-sized pieces, about 3 cm. Waxy potatoes hold their shape when layered in the baking dish. Floury varieties would fall apart.
The sauce thickens with cornflour and cooking liquid
After cooking we have 600 g of hot vegetable stock in the mixing bowl. Into that go 200 g crème fraîche, 100 g double cream and 35 g cornflour. The cornflour thickens at 120°C in 6 minutes at speed 1. Reverse direction is not needed here because there are no delicate pieces in the bowl.
Salt, pepper, nutmeg and lemon juice season the sauce. A splash of lemon lifts the freshness of the asparagus. Too much lemon makes the sauce sharp, so one splash is enough.
Parsley goes in twice
We chop the parsley at speed 5 for 5 seconds. Half goes into the mixing bowl after the sauce has cooked, 5 seconds at speed 3 distributes it evenly. We scatter the other half over the gratin before baking. The parsley in the sauce gives flavour, the parsley on top stays green and fresh.
Layer and bake without pre-cooking
The asparagus and potatoes go straight from the Varoma into the baking dish. We layer the potatoes around the asparagus, scatter 200 g grated Gouda on top and pour the sauce evenly over everything. Then 15 minutes at 200°C on the middle shelf.
The Gouda melts and forms a golden crust. For a heartier version, fry diced ham with onions and scatter over the asparagus before baking. That adds more saltiness and a roasted note.
Freezing asparagus for after the season
Green asparagus freezes well. We trim the ends, peel the lower third of thick spears and lay the spears side by side on a tray. After 2 hours in the freezer they are pre-frozen and no longer stick together. Then pack into portions in freezer bags and store at minus 18°C.
Frozen asparagus keeps for 6 to 8 months. Do not defrost before cooking: place directly in the Varoma. The cooking time increases by 5 minutes.
Goes well with: Hollandaise sauce, ham and baguette.
More asparagus recipes: steamed asparagus in the Varoma, asparagus cream soup from trimmings, green asparagus pesto for pasta. The full collection is at Asparagus in the Thermomix®.
