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Asparagus Gratin (Asperges au Gratin)

Asparagus gratin: cooked asparagus is arranged in rows on a buttered dish, sprinkled with grated cheese, doused with 125 g nut-brown butter mixed with 25 g rusk crumbs and quickly gratinated under the broiler (originally a salamander).

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 367 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Gratinating with a salamander - a glowing iron held over the dish - was common in large kitchens before electric ovens with a broiler element. Today the oven broiler is used.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Lay out the asparagus

    Arrange the cooked asparagus in rows on a warm, buttered ovenproof dish.

  2. 2

    Sprinkle with cheese

    Sprinkle grated cheese over the asparagus, including over the tips.

  3. 3

    Brown butter

    Brown the butter until it is nut-brown and stir in the rusk crumbs.

  4. 4

    Gratinate

    Pour the brown butter over the asparagus tips just before serving and gratinate quickly under the oven's broiler (the original uses a salamander) until the surface is lightly golden. Serve immediately.

Changes from the original

The salamander is replaced with the oven broiler. The amount of cheese is estimated, as the original does not give it. Otherwise unchanged.

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1914 (proofread, p. 367) → Modernised~95% of the text changedremovedadded
De kokte 1 kg asparges anrettes (ferdig kokt). 100 g revet ost (mengden er anslått). 125 g smør (brunes til nøttebrunt). 25 g kavringstøv (eller tørket, støtt og siktet loff). 1 ss smør (til fatet). Legg den kokte aspargesen i rækker paa rader på et varmt, smurt fat ildfast fat.. Strø revet ost over aspargesen, også over hodene.. Brun smøret til det er nøttebrunt og strøes med reven ost. Aspargeshoderne strøes med reven ost. Umiddelbart rør inn kavringstøvet.. Hell det brune smøret over aspargeshodene rett før anretningen overheldes aspargeshoderne med 125 gr. nøttebrunt smør, irørt 25 gr. støtt, sigtet, tørret franskbrød eller kavring. Glasseres let med en salamander. servering og gratinér raskt under ovnens grill (originalen bruker salamander) til overflaten er lett gyllen. Server straks.

Note on Modernised

Salamander er erstattet med ovnsgrill. Mengden ost er anslått, da originalen ikke oppgir den. Ellers uendret.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a salamander, and what can I use instead?
A salamander was a glowing iron tool held over the food to give quick surface browning. Today you can use the broiler element (top heat) in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is lightly golden.
How do I make the nut-brown butter for the top?
Melt 125 g butter and let it brown gently until it smells nutty, then stir in 25 g crushed, sifted and dried white bread or rusk. This is poured over the asparagus tips just before plating, so it doesn't lose its crispness.
How is the dish arranged?
The cooked asparagus is arranged in rows on a warm, buttered dish and sprinkled with grated cheese - including the asparagus tips themselves. Then the browned butter with the breadcrumbs is poured over the tips, and the dish is lightly glazed.

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