Asparagus In Creamy Orange Maltaise Butter Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

450 g asparagus (1 lb)
sauce
3 egg yolks
1 grated orange, juice and rind of
salt
pepper
100 g unsalted butter, softened (4oz)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons heavy cream
orange rind twists (garnish)

Preparation

Wash the asparagus and snap off the ends to remove the tough part of the stalks. Tie the asparagus into bundles of 6-7 stalks and boil them for 10-15 minutes standing upright in a pan of hot water. Drain well.
To make the sauce, in a small metal bowl or pot beat the butter, egg yolks, salt, pepper and orange rind together. Place over a larger pan of hot water and whisk in the orange and lemon juice cooking over a gentle heat while adding the butter a LITTLE at a time, so that it thickens, don't rush this, becuase if the previous amount of butter has not emulsified before the next lot is added, the sauce will split.
Once it begins to thicken, remove from the heat and continue beating for a full minute, then stir in the cream.
Mix together well, the orange juice should have turned the sauce a soft shade of pink. Pour the sauce into a sauce boat and serve with the bundles of asparagus immediately.
Decorate the asparagus bundles with orange twists.