Steamed Baby Broccoli with Blender Béarnaise Sauce | Recipe
How to trim and prepare baby broccoli, how long to cook it and a quick and easy sauce to serve it with.
Do you feel the need to change up your weeknight veggie routine every now and again? Bored with the same old, same old? Yeah, me too. We all crave a little variety in our lives, and swapping out old-fashioned broccoli for baby broccoli every now and again is not only a nice change of pace, but a delicious one as well.
Cooking baby broccoli is just as easy as whipping up it's well-known cousin. Baby broccoli is simple to prepare, requires only a touch of trimming along the stalks and steams up beautifully. To trim baby broccoli, cut off the ends about 2 1/2" from the base. Then, using a pairing knife, carefully scrape off the leaves growing up the stalk.
To steam baby broccoli, fit a steamer basket in a large saucepan, and place baby broccoli in the basket, placing the thicker stalks toward the bottom of the pan. Steam the broccoli for 10 minutes for more of an al denté bite, and closer to 14 minutes for a softer chew.
Most green vegetables pair wonderfully with sauces like hollandaise and béarnaise, and baby broccoli is no exception. Try serving it with a quick and easy blender béarnaise sauce to take this veggie from weeknight dinner status, on up to entertaining status. Baby broccoli with blender béarnaise sauce is an impressive, yet almost deceptively easy side dish to serve amongst your guests, and makes for a beautiful and vibrant addition to almost any meal.
Baby broccoli would be perfectly served alongside roasted poultry, pan-seared pork chops or grilled steak, but pairs especially well next to any meaty fish, such as salmon. Enjoy!
FOR THE BABY BROCCOLI
Ingredients:
One Bunch Baby Broccoli or Broccolini
Method:
For this recipe you will need a large saucepan or pot with a fitted lid and a steamer basket.
Fill a saucepan with about a ¼” of water and place steamer basket inside. Note, the water should not come up high enough to touch the bottom of the steamer basket.
Remove the tough ends of the baby broccoli, and using a paring knife, scrape any excess leaves away from the stalk. Begin adding the baby broccoli to the steamer basket by placing one floret in front of the other, and adding the larger and thicker pieces first and so that the thinner and smaller pieces are on top. This allows for even steam distribution and also promotes even cooking amongst all pieces. Place saucepan over medium heat and cover with lid. Allow to steam for 10 minutes, or until tender enough to your liking. Remove baby broccoli from saucepan to prevent further cooking. If not using Blender Béarnaise, drizzle with olive oil and season with kosher salt and black pepper to your liking and serve immediately.
Makes 4 Servings.
FOR THE BLENDER BÉARNAISE
Ingredients:
1 cup hot, melted unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 tablespoon hot water
Juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon minced tarragon
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
Pinch Cayenne pepper
Have ready melted butter and set aside. Add egg yolks and hot water to a blender and process until thickened, about 30 seconds. Remove the funnel (aka the little plastic part that sits in lid of blender) and drizzle in hot butter with the motor still running. Cover with towel and continue to process until pale white and thickened once more. Add tarragon, salt and cayenne, pulse and serve.
Makes about 1 cup.
Would pair well with:
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