Hello again!
My recipe selection this month is Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon Hollandaise Sauce and Asparagus Spears from Abbey Parks Farms. It is a great example of a recipe that celebrates one of Britain’s finest vegetables – asparagus!
Recipe: 
Serves 4: preparation time: 25 minutes
You will need 4 medium free-range eggs, poached and 4 muffins
Smoked Salmon Hollandaise
Ingredients:
200 gms unsalted butter
3 x egg yolks
2 x tablespoons sherry vinegar
80 gms chopped smoked salmon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
half a lemon
Method:
1. Place the egg yolks, vinegar, mustard and smoked salmon into a blender and purée
2. Heat the butter in a saucepan
3. When the butter is hot and melted, gradually pour into the blender and purée together
4. Finish with salt and pepper and lemon juice
5. Place into container, cover and leave somewhere warm until ready to serve
Asparagus:
20 spears of asparagus
Method:
1. Cut or break off the ends of the asparagus to remove the woody piece
2. Bring to the boil a large pan of water and add a small amount of salt (approximately 1 tablespoon per litre of water)
3. Cook the asparagus in 2 batches: add the 1st batch of asparagus to the boiling water and cook for 4/5 minutes, remove from the water and then repeat the cooking process with the 2nd batch
To assemble:
Slice 4 of the muffins horizontally into 3 sections and lightly toast under the grill.
Pre-heat 4 plates and place one slice on each. Then place 4 spears of asparagus on top of each muffin slice. Sandwich the re-heated poached egg between the remaining 2 slices of toasted muffin with spoonfuls of the salmon hollandaise sauce. Slice up the remaining 4 spears of asparagus and sprinkle evenly around the 4 plates, drizzle with olive oil and serve.
Sean’s Top Tips
If you’d like to make your own muffins, look up my recipe, along with all the other recipes from my Stamford Living Food Page, on the Olive Branch pub website under ‘Latest News/Food and Menus’: (www.theolivebranchpub.com)
• You can poach the eggs in advance and then plunge them into ice cold water to prevent any further cooking. When required just pour water from a boiled kettle onto the eggs for a few minutes to heat them through
• You can cook the asparagus in advance then blanch in iced water when cooking is complete. Just re-heat the asparagus in a microwave with a drizzle of olive oil and seasoning when required
• When cooking asparagus, first blanch some parsley with stalks (great for herb oil afterwards) in the water you’re going to use to cook it. This chlorophyll-saturated water will then not leach out any flavour or colour from the asparagus.
Local Suppliers
Abbey Parks Farm supplies some of the most prestigious London restaurants, such as The Ivy and Quaglino’s – as well as my own pubs – with their asparagus, renowned for its fine flavour and quality.
Abbey Parks Farm Shop in Boston is open Mon-Sat, 9am – 5pm and Sundays 9.30am – 5pm. T: 01205-821610 or visit www.abbeyparksasparagus.co.uk
Also available in Simpole Clarke, Stamford
Coming Up:
Great news: The Olive Branch will be open between 3pm and 5pm from May to September at weekends and on Bank Holiday Mondays when first-come, first-served snack menu will be available both inside and out in the gardens (weather permitting!). On offer will be summer-style dishes such as seasonal soups, a choice of burgers with meats sourced from Northfield Farm, salads and desserts (including sorbets and ice creams). The bar will be open through the afternoon serving our famous summer cocktails, real ales, fine wines and real lemonade!
Cookery Demonstrations:
The Olive Branch Pub, Clipsham; T: 01780-410355; www.theolivebranchpub.com Tuesday 1st July & Tuesday 11th November
The Red Lion inn, Stathern: T: 01949-860868 www.theredlioninn.co.uk Wednesday 28th May, Tuesday 8th July, Tuesday 16th September and Tuesday 9th December.
Make a note of the dates in your diaries or ring now to reserve your place at these popular demonstrations.