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Tag: Canned Asparagus MANILA, Philippines—It was felicitous that the Old Manila would have an asparagus festival. The vegetable is associated with elegance and wealth, owing to its graceful form and the historical preference of Roman emperors for the cultivated spears. The signature restaurant of The Peninsula Manila has maintained the ambient graciousness associated with fine dining. It has the elements of contemporary Filipino art incorporated into suggestions of a European salon, with the accompanying sense of decorum. Crisp serviettes and silver cutlery, stemware and white damask table linen prefaced the succession of food prepared by Chef Markus Tauwald. While asparagus is available throughout the year, the particular variety used for the festival is prime in April. Orders from Germany are placed early for the gastronomic event held annually from May 8 to June 20. There are various ways of preparing the spears, and having them from appetizers to the main entrée was a good way to discover what could be done. Chef de Cuisine Markus prepared degustation portions for a sampling to run the course of a full meal. For starters, he poached the asparagus in butter and served it with a creamy spread of béarnaise. The tangy variation of hollandaise sauce over the mild flavored asparagus was a haute cuisine version of the traditional French preparation, complemented by the saltiness of trout caviar. There was a hint of tarragon in the mouth and the nostrils after the first bite. It was small inclusion that made a difference. This hors d’oeuvre was accompanied by new potatoes as sidings, a flavor that would return in the next dish. Salad was tuna confit with leeks topping a mold of potatoes and asparagus. The taste disputed any notion that the slices resembling canned fish were anything but fresh. Later, Markus described the painstaking efforts that went to produce the portion consumable in a few bites. He boiled an 80-kg fish in sea water which he made with very precise measurements of liquid and salt. The tuna was cooked overnight in a huge vat that accommodates its entirety, complete with head, fins and skin. When it was done, he removed the flesh with care, mindful that this had become so tender, it would fall apart. The meat was marinated for eight days in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, rosemary and thyme and a small fraction was the highlight of the second course. German influence The potatoes had a touch of German influence, Markus being from the Central European country. Flavored with onion reduction, herbs, vegetable stock and mustard, it provided a delicate contrast to the fish. There was an element of surprise biting into the boiled potatoes and experiencing the firm but soft asparagus with which it was combined. A few pieces of fresh capers around the salad were more than garnish as the taste served to enhance the different flavors on the palate. The soup that followed was a foamy cappuccino of white asparagus accompanied with Harvey Bay scallops. It was light and frothy on the surface, descending to smooth and silky. There was a moment of uncertainty over whether the beverage was indeed soup or drink when it was served in a vessel the likeness of a soda tumbler and a hint of cinnamon at first taste. It expanded the definition of potage not just in flavor but in appearance. The palate cleanser was a sorbet of elderberry and champagne. The combination of the berry from the honeysuckle family and the sparkling white wine was served in a stemware set on a Potterhouse plate with rocks of sugar that looked like bits of ice. It was both gustatory and visually cooling, effectively preparing taste buds for the main entrée that followed. The salmon came encrusted in couscous and mint, laid on the slender spears of white asparagus. It was encircled by snow peas and the pencil thin green variety of asparagus, which possesses a slightly stronger taste. One of the pleasures of dining is taking in the food with all the senses. Past what the eyes see and before the tasting is a moment to savor the aroma. The scent of the Pommery mustard sauce was the impetus to yield to the appetite now primed for the golden fillet. The knife slid easily to break through the crust revealing the pink meat of the fish. While slowly indulging taste buds, Markus talked about the asparagus and explained the need to peel it by hand. It is always best to strip the outer layer, he said, just before cooking to capture the fine flavor. He uses his hands to remove the fibrous portion till the soft center is exposed. The end parts are used to make soup stock which can be stored. This white variety is preferred in Europe while the green one is more popular in North America. As the stalks of the white asparagus are growing, it is kept mounded in dirt to deprive these of sunlight. Without light, it cannot produce chlorophyll which would otherwise make it green. The food portions allowed room for a slice of chocolate fondant with lemon liqueur sabayon. It waded in a syrup of the amarino cherry, a moist dark red roundness glistening alongside the cake. A cup of peppermint tea is comforting and when all has been poured out, the meal is done. There are still a few more weeks to try the other selections on the menu. Otherwise, it will be another year before the asparagus season in Old Manila.