Filet of Sole with Potatoes and Asparagus

 

I've been wanting to try out asparagus puree ever since I saw it in Michael Ruhlman's Ruhlman's Twenty book. I'm between blenders at the moment, but I was able to use a food processor to at least produce something tolerable. It's certainly a different way of serving asparagus, though in the end it's easier to just blanch/saute them.  

Ingredients (for 1 serving):

For the court bouillon:

Water

White Wine Vinegar

Dill

Parsley

1 Carrot, sliced thin

1/4 white onion, sliced thin

White Fish filets (I used dover sole)

1 red potato

rosemary

garlic

salt

olive oil

1/2  a bunch of asparagus

butter

lemon

For the potatoes: 

Dice into one inch cubes, put in a baking dish with 2 cloves of garlic (left whole), rosemary, salt, and olive oil. Cook for 45 minutes at 425F, flipping the spuds after half an hour.

For the fish:

Put all the court bouillon ingredients besides the vinegar in a pan, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the vinegar (you don't need much; I used about 2 or 3 tablespoons worth), and bring to a boil. Add the fish filets, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.

For the asparagus:

Get a good amount of salted water to a boil, and blanch the asparagus for 4-5 minutes. Remove the asparagus and plunge into a bowl of ice water and let cool. Reserve the tips for serving, and place the stalks into a blender (I was stuck using a food processor since I'm between blenders. Definitely use a blender if you can.) and puree. You may need to add some water (I needed 1/4 cup) to get everything to the right consistency. Add the puree to a sauce pan along with a knob of butter and heat.

To plate: pour the asparagus puree on the plate, top with the potatoes, then the fish. Sprinkle with chopped lemon zest.