Helen RandellSlow cooked artichokes with hollandaise
November 6th 2011 10:18
With our artichoke plants looking splendid, it was only a matter of time before I went down to the veggie patch and cut off their heads.
I have done different things with artichokes over the past few years, experimenting with the best way to eat them, in a slow cooked dish or as a side.
But this year, I decided to go French, and have the artichokes as the shinning star in its own course. The results were delicious, eaten on the deck with our hands, scraping the soft artichoke flesh from the leaves with our teeth and generally making a mess with the hollandaise sauce. Perfect.
Now, a quick note. Similar to my experience a few weeks ago, I was a bit scared by the prospect of making hollandaise sauce. However, rest assured it was very easy. If it wasn't so full of butter I'd make it every day! Perfectly suitable for some mid-week extravagance.
Slow cooked artichokes with hollandaise sauce
6 medium globe artichokes (or a couple more if you are using little ones)
2 litres water
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Prepare artichokes (as per here). Rinse then pack the artichokes tightly into a 4.5 litre slow cooker. Pour in water, stock and lemon juice. Cook, covered on low for 8 hours.
Hollandaise Sauce (adapted from Stephanie Alexander's The Cooks Companion) - makes enough to eat with 6 med artichokes
200g unsalted butter
1/4 white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
3 egg yolks
juice of 1/2 lemon
Melt butter and allow to cool slightly. Put vinegar and water into a small saucepan, and reduce over heat until there is just 1 tablespoon of liquid left.Transfer to a small bowl that fits comfortably over a small saucepan half filled with water - whatever you use as a pretend double boiler to melt your chocolate will be suitable. Add egg yolks and whisk well over a moderate heat until thick and foamy.
Whisk in butter a little at a time, still over heat. When all the butter has been incorporated you should have a bowl of thick, creamy, delicious sauce. Add lemon juice to taste, and some finely chopped herbs it you want.
To eat simply drain artichokes and allow your guests to pull off each leave and dip it into the sauce. The best part is the heart, where the soft fleshiest part of the vegetable is. Mmmmmm.
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