Bacon-wrapped Asparagus in Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients:
10 asparagus spears per person (approx. 1.6 kilos for four people)
1 tsp salt
4 whole eggs & 4 egg yolks
8 slices bacon
4 tbsp dry white wine (e.g. Pinot Blanc d’ Alsace)
1 cup melted butter (100 g)
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Pinch of salt and white pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Cooking Procedure:
1. Soak the asparagus in cold water as soon as you get them home. Rinse and cut the woody bit off the end. Place the asparagus and salt in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to the boil. Now temper the heat slightly and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Take off the heat and leave the asparagus in the hot water for a further 15-20 minutes, or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, boil 4 of the eggs and chop finely. Fry bacon until slightly crispy. Set aside.
3. For the Hollandaise, beat egg yolks and wine until foamy. Place on a low heat and beat continuously until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and add the melted butter in a thin trickle, while continuing to whisk. Add the nutmeg, lemon juice, salt and white pepper. Whisk again, and set aside.
4. Gently drain the cooked asparagus. Be careful not to damage the tender heads. Wrapped 1 to 3 pieces of asparagus with bacon, arrange it by putting asparagus heads in one direction and top with the Hollandaise sauce.
5. Best served with rice and with the rest of the chilled wine.

* You can also topped it with chopped ham, boiled eggs and parsley. .
* If you’re not able to use your asparagus right away, simply wrap it in a damp tea towel and keep it in the vegetable drawer of your fridge. It keeps quite well this way.
* Many Dutch people eat this dish with melted butter instead of Hollandaise. It’s an easy way out for those too daunted to try Hollandaise or a good back-up plan if your Hollandaise breaks. Hehe, it really happened, but you just have to follow every single instructions above and with a very low heat plus whisking the mixture like crazy it’ll sure make very good hollandaise