{"id":5530,"date":"2011-04-25T05:30:38","date_gmt":"2011-04-25T12:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/?p=5530"},"modified":"2017-03-19T12:43:49","modified_gmt":"2017-03-19T19:43:49","slug":"white-asparagus-and-crab-salad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/white-asparagus-and-crab-salad\/","title":{"rendered":"White Asparagus and Crab Salad"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"White<\/p>\n

As you’re reading this, I’m soaring high above the clouds on my way to a biking adventure that begins in Amsterdam – “excited” hardly describes how I feel. I’ve been doing research on Dutch cuisine: both traditional and street food. Myself and 20 other adventurous women will be touring traditional tourist must-sees like Keukenhof<\/a>, The Hague, and, of course, the “coffee shops” and red light district, but as a food lover and writer, I hope to eat like a local while we’re cycling our way through the Dutch countryside on our Bike\/Barge trip from Amsterdam to Bruges with CycleTours<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I’m posting this as I’m packing and wishing that the last thing on my mind is how I don’t have enough time to write 6 blog posts to schedule while I’m gone. But at least I have a feeling of accomplishment in fulfilling my first challenge with the Five Star Foodie Challenge group. I can breath a sigh of relief because for a while there it looked as if I was going to fail miserably due to the fact that I could not find the main ingredient called for in the challenge! Thank you Bristol Farms<\/a> for coming through!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Considering I’ll soon be experiencing Spring in all its splendor in a sea of fragrant blossoms of hyacinths and tulips, it was serendipitous that the Five-Star Foodie Challenge for April was white asparagus, revered as the ultimate Spring delicacy in Germany and The Netherlands during this very time. I plan on seeking out traditional preparations, like Asparagus with Ham and Hollandaise Sauce, while I’m biking through the villages and flower fields of Holland.<\/p>\n

According to Karin Englebrecht, an Amsterdam-based food and travel writer who writes restaurant reviews for TimeOut Amsterdam magazines and travel guides:<\/p>\n

“You couldn\u2019t possibly find a more Dutch way of eating asparagus than Asparagus Hollandaise with ham and chopped boiled eggs. And, for those of you who feel the need to point out that Hollandaise sauce is French, some historians believe that it was actually invented in the Netherlands and then taken back to France by the Huguenots. A recipe for Hollandaise sauce appears in a Dutch cookbook by Carel Baten, which dates from 1593. Once looked down upon as peasant food, white asparagus is now regarded as “witte goud” \u00a0or \u00a0\u2018white gold\u2019. Heritage aside, this simply is the best way to enjoy this delicious delicacy.”<\/p>\n

So, to honor the white asparagus and its delicate flavor, I kept it simple, adding only sweet crab meat<\/span> and fresh ingredients from the garden that would complement, without overpowering, the ivory spears. To give the salad my signature, I concocted a bright sauce of green asparagus and shallots<\/span> and a white balsamic and Meyer lemon vinaigrette<\/span> to dress it. Garnished with slivers of purple radishes and edible flowers, The Don and I savored this delightful salad with a bottle of bubbly while gazing upon the pastel hues of our rose garden in bloom and the tender green shoots dotting the garden beds.<\/p>\n

\"White<\/p>\n

\n