30Boltwood Restaurant | Fine Amherst MA Dining | Hadley Asparagus with Black Truffle Aioli, Watercress-Mushroom Salad & Poached Egg

Hadley Asparagus with Black Truffle Aioli, Watercress-Mushroom Salad & Poached Egg

Published May 21, 2021 12:36 pm

Blanch the asparagus in boiling water, until tender, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and immediately plunge into an ice-water bath to stop the cooking.

Whisk together egg yolk, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and salt in a small-medium bowl. I like to use a glass bowl so you can really see what is happening.
In a measuring cup with a spout, combine the truffle oil and neutral oil.
Very slowly, begin to drip the oil into the bowl with the egg mixture, whisking constantly and vigorously. You are making an emulsion, and emulsions are very tricky. At the beginning, you must literally add the oil drop by drop, making sure it is incorporated before adding more.
The mixture will thicken little by little at first, and then faster and faster. Once you have added about ¼ cup of the oil, you can speed up the rate at which you are adding the oil.
Continue to whisk constantly, taking a break if your arm tires. If your bowl is moving around a lot, you can try stabilizing it by placing it on top of a damp kitchen towel. After about ½ cup of oil has been added, you can speed up even more until all the oil is incorporated.
If the aioli is too thick, add a teaspoon of water at a time to loosen it up to what you desire.
Whisk in the minced garlic and let sit for at least 10 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld.

1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 small clove garlic, minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 packed tablespoon roughly chopped fresh tarragon leaves
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable or canola oil, for searing mushrooms
1 pound oyster mushrooms, firm central stems removed, mushroom caps separated, large caps torn by hand vertically into smaller pieces
4 ounces fresh watercress, cut or torn into smaller pieces if stalks are large

Combine shallot, garlic, mustard, vinegar, water, and tarragon in a tall, narrow container. Using an immersion blender, blend until tarragon is finely chopped and incorporated into the dressing base. Alternatively, mince tarragon finely by hand and add to the base. Transfer to a large bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over high heat until lightly smoking. Add just enough mushrooms to barely fill the skillet without crowding. Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and browned about 5 minutes. Transfer cooked mushrooms to a baking sheet in an even layer and allow them to cool to room temperature. Repeat with remaining mushrooms in as many batches as needed, adding more oil to the pan before each batch.
In a large bowl, combine watercress with cooled mushrooms and cheese. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Dress and toss with just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat salad ingredients, adding more vinaigrette as needed. Serve right away. Extra vinaigrette can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
While waiting for the water to boil, crack an egg into a small fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Swirl the egg in the sieve until all the liquid egg whites have been removed. Then, place the egg in a ramekin.
Stir the vinegar into the water and create a vortex. Add the egg to the middle of the vortex and cook the egg for 3 minutes.
Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and dab it on a paper towel to remove any excess water. Serve immediately.