Charred Asparagus With Miso Béarnaise Sauce Recipe

For an easy steak dinner side dish, char asparagus in the time it takes for your rib-eye to rest. Drizzle them both with a jazzed-up béarnaise that gets an umami boost from white miso. Why drop big bucks at a stuffy steakhouse when you can live large at home? No jacket required.

A small amount of miso lends savory depth to classic béarnaise sauce that complements the grassiness of spring asparagus.

Using an immersion blender to blend the béarnaise creates a strong emulsion.

Cooking asparagus most of the way in a dry cast iron pan cuts down on unwanted smoke in the kitchen. A finishing addition of oil quickly blisters the spears and helps seasoning stick to them.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine
• 1/4 cup (60ml) white wine vinegar
• 1 large shallot (30g), sliced thin
• 3 sprigs tarragon, leaves finely minced, stems reserved separately
• 1/2 teaspoon (2g) whole black peppercorns
• 2 large egg yolks (36g)
• 1 tablespoon (20g) white miso
• 12 tablespoons (168g) unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound (450g) asparagus, woody ends trimmed
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil, divided