- 30 asparagus spears
- 8 medium eggs, plus 2 beaten eggs for coating
- 150g pancetta
- 100g Japanese panko breadcrumbs
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 20ml truffle oil
- 10ml rapeseed oil
- 30g rocket leaves
- 500m vegetable oil for deep-frying
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 20g Parmesan, finely grated
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Asparagus with deep-fried pancetta-crumbed egg
A fresh and light starter that is easy on the palette.
For those who have not been trained by Michel Roux, you may wish to consider replacing the deep-fried pancetta-crumbed egg with a poached egg, sprinkled with crumbled crispy bacon.
Recipe serves 6 people as a starter
Ingredients
Method
- Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus, leaving about 11cm long spears. Add the asparagus to a pan of boiling salted water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and refresh in iced salted water, then drain and set aside
- Gently place the 8 eggs in a pan of boiling salted water and cook for no more than 5 minutes. The extra 2 eggs are to cover breakages or hungry people if the eggs survive! Remove and cool in iced water, then carefully peel away the shells
- Add the pancetta to a pan of cold water, bring to the boil, then leave to cool in the water. Drain and pat dry
- Finely dice the pancetta and mix with the breadcrumbs. Scatter on a small tray. You should have the beaten eggs and flour ready in separate bowls
- Dip the peeled eggs into the flour to coat lightly, then in the beaten egg and finally in the crumb mix. Coat the eggs a second time with the beaten eggs and crumb mix. Keep on a tray in the fridge until ready to cook
- When ready to serve, heat the grill to medium-high. Mix the truffle and rapeseed oils together. Put the rockets into a bowl
- Heat the oil for deep-frying in a deep, heavy pan to 175°C. Deep-fry the crumb-coated eggs in two batches. Add them to the oil and cook for 1 minute until nice and golden, then drain on kitchen paper
- Meanwhile, lay the asparagus spears on a tray, drizzle with some of the truffle oil mixture and season with salt end pepper. Place under the grill for 40 seconds to warm through. Dress the rocket with the wine vinegar, remaining truffle oil mix and some salt and pepper
- Dip the ends of the asparagus spears in the Parmesan to coat and arrangement in a criss-cross fashion on individual plates. Carefully halve the deep-fried eggs and arrange an egg on each plate. Scatter the rocket salad over and around the asparagus. Serve at once