I have been a fan of Tyler Florence for years. There are no fewer than 11 of his recipes on Chewing the Fat. His cookbook, “Tyler’s Ultimate” (Clarkson-Potter 2006) is among the most dog-eared in our collection. When Chef Florence took off from Charleston, SC, he first came to New York and brought with him many recipes tinged with Southern accents. In 2008, he moved to San Francisco and ever since, his cooking has taken on a decidedly West Coast edge. Candidly, when I received my copy of “Tyler Florence Fresh” ( Clarkson Potter 2012), I astonished at the makeover.
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| Tyler’s Version of the Dish |
Featured prominently on the book jacket was the recipe I am sharing today. It was described as “ A simple grilled cheese sandwich … transformed in an elegant snack when enhanced with blanched asparagus”. Well, I guess one man’s snack is another man’s supper. Or brunch. As most readers know, I love asparagus. So I was very pleased to see that, this late in June, there was fresh crop of the skinny asparagus that’s perfect for this dish, at a farm stand down the road.
This isn’t a backbreaker, despite the length of the ingredient list and the cooking instructions. If you’ve never made mayonnaise in a blender, you’ll discover you’re an expert the first time you try it. And don’t leave out the truffle or truffle oil for a touch of luxury that elevates the whole dish. If you can’t find the recommended Mt. Tam, and I couldn’t, the cheese can be any triple crème of your choosing. Slicing it may be more difficult than spreading the runny cheese over the truffled mayo. A Panini maker is a huge help here and I am very glad I have one. But I am sure you can accomplish this dish as you would any grilled cheese sandwich in a sauté pan over moderate to low heat. Finally, there’s the matter of the poached egg. Use Chef Florence’s method and astonish yourself with the results: Perfect poached eggs.
I made the whole thing in under an hour. And I made it twice. Once with the bread squared at the corners and once leaving the crusts on. They were both delicious but the squared corners did make for a better ‘results’ picture. One caveat: the original recipe doesn’t recommend making the mayo more than an hour in advance to preserve its truffle aroma. Finally, Tyler made beautiful single asparagus ‘soldiers’ with squared corners and lovely rectangles. I left mine whole and they tasted just wonderful. Here is the recipe:
Recipe for Tyler Florence’s Asparagus Grilled Cheese with Poached Egg Serves 4. Takes under 1 hour to make.
For the truffle mayonnaise:
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 cup grapeseed oil (I used Safflower Oil and Avocado Oil without any apparent difficulty.
1 oz. fresh black truffle shavings or 1 1/2 tsp. truffle oil
24 asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed
8 slices buttermilk or sourdough bread, each about 1/2 inch thick
3 to 4 oz. Mt. Tam triple-cream cheese, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 Tbs. white vinegar
4 eggs
Extra-virgin olive oil for grilling sandwiches. Optional: Greens
First make the mayonnaise:
1. To make the mayonnaise, in a blender, combine the egg whites, mustard, lemon juice, salt and sugar and blend until smooth. With the blender running, add the grapeseed oil in a slow, steady stream so the mixture emulsifies. Remove about 3/4 cup of the mayonnaise and reserve for another use.
2. Add the truffles or truffle oil to the remaining mayonnaise and blend again until smooth. Refrigerate in a sealed container until ready to use.
3. To cook the asparagus, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until tender and bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the asparagus and transfer to a bowl of salted ice water. Leave to cool for 1 minute, then drain and set aside.
4. To assemble the sandwiches, smear each slice of bread with some truffle mayonnaise. Top 4 of the slices with a slice of cheese, followed by a neat layer of asparagus spears arranged 1/2 inch apart, trimming the asparagus so they fit nicely on the bread. Season with salt and pepper, then cover each with one of the remaining slices of bread, mayonnaise side down.
5. To poach the eggs, fill a medium saucepan with 3 to 4 inches of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and add the vinegar. Working with 1 egg at a time, crack an egg into a small bowl. Stir the water with a wooden spoon to create a whirlpool, then gently slide the egg into the center. The circulating water will cause the white to neatly envelop the yolk and yield a perfectly poached egg. Cook at a gentle simmer until the white sets and the egg is just firm enough to handle but still tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the egg and drain well on a paper towel.
6. To grill the sandwiches, drizzle the sandwiches on both sides with a little olive oil. Grill in a panini press on medium-high heat until the sandwiches are golden brown and the cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Alternatively, cook the sandwiches in a nonstick fry pan for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
7. Use a serrated knife to carefully cut each sandwich into individual finger-size portions, cutting between the asparagus spears. Serve the poached eggs with the grilled sandwich pieces immediately. Garnish with the greens and sprouts, and serve with dots of truffle mayonnaise. Serves 4.
