Windows On The World Asparagus In Chive Hollandaise Sauce

This is my take on the luxurious Windows On The World Asparagus In Chive Hollandaise Sauce. Asparagus spears are roasted just until tender and dressed in a silky, rich, and lemony hollandaise sauce, and finished with chopped chives for a dish that is sure to impress!

What a fitting way to remember 9/11 than by making a dish that wowed me on my first dinner experience at the gorgeous restaurant on top of the World Trade Center.

Windows On The World

I don’t think there is anyone who is unfamiliar with Windows On The World, but just in case, it was a beautiful restaurant on the 106 and 107th floors of the North tower. Unfortunately, it was decimated in the 9/11 attacks when the tower fell, killing 79 of its employees. If you’re interested, you can learn more about Windows On The World here.

I remember my first dining experience, not only at the restaurant but my first time in the Towers. I was a very young adult and felt so grown up and fancy attending one of my first business dinners at this gorgeous place. 

I can still remember the meal that I had that evening. It was a filet mignon, asparagus in chive hollandaise sauce, and an amaretto souffle for dessert. It was one of the most sublime meals that I’ve ever had. I was trying to stretch the sauce so that I could have a bit with each bite of steak and asparagus. I’m almost embarrassed to say that I must have looked a bit desperate and the service at the restaurant was so impeccable, that our waiter brought out a small dish with more sauce without me asking. I was profoundly grateful!

I’ve spent years playing with and trying to nail down the way the asparagus and sauce tasted at that meal. While it doesn’t compare to the taste of heaven that Windows served up, it comes close.

Ingredients Needed

• Asparagus – pick medium-sized stalks and cut off the woody, tough ends.
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Fresh chives
• Flaked sea salt – this is optional and used as a garnish. It adds flavor and a lovely crunch.
• Eggs – as fresh as possible.
• White pepper – you can use black pepper as well, but I didn’t want the little black flecks.
• Lemons
• Unsalted butter

How To Pick The Freshest Eggs Or Tell If Your Eggs Are Fresh

This recipe uses raw egg yolks in the sauce, which does pose a very small risk of foodborne illness. However, you can reduce the risk even further by following a few guidelines.

• Choose USDA ‘A’ or ‘AA” eggs when buying eggs.
• Be sure to check the pack date on the carton. Pack date is a 3-digit code where 001 refers to eggs packed on January 1st and 365 is December 31st. The eggs are still good within 5 weeks of the pack date.
• Choose eggs that have been refrigerated and have shells that are clean and fully intact. Avoid or discard any eggs with cracked, broken, or dirty shells.
• Keep your eggs refrigerated.
• Do a ‘float test’ on eggs already in your refrigerator to gauge freshness. Submerge the egg in a glass or bowl of water. If it floats, the egg is old and should be thrown away. If it sinks, but stands on end at the bottom or floats at an angle, the egg is older but still edible. If your egg sinks to the bottom, turns on its side, and stays there, it is a very fresh egg.
• Avoid contact between the egg yolks or whites and the shell.

Steps To Make This Recipe

1. Trim the asparagus and toss them with oil and salt on a baking sheet.
2. Roast the asparagus until just tender, but not browned.
3. Make the hollandaise by adding all of the sauce ingredients to a blender, and blend until thick and creamy.
4. Pour the sauce over the roasted asparagus.
5. Garnish with flaked salt and chopped chives.

Please consider a few of our other asparagus recipes:

• Oven Asparagus Risotto
• The Best Cream Of Asparagus Soup
• Lemon Parmesan Roasted Asparagus
• Asparagus Goat Cheese Tart

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