Best Fiddlehead Ferns Steamed With A Creamy Dijon Sauce Recipes

SAUTéED FIDDLEHEAD FERNS RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
• Trim fiddlehead ferns, removing any brown ends or mushy parts. Rinse in cool water. Do this just before cooking-the added moisture will make these delicate fronds spoil if done too far in advance.
• Transfer the fiddleheads to the water and boil until tender, about 15 minutes.
• Drain and rinse with cold water until cool, or shock in a bowl of ice water to cool, then drain.
• Arrange in a single layer on clean kitchen towels or paper towels. Pat dry.
• Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it melts. Add the fiddleheads. Cook, stirring frequently, until they start to brown on the edges, about 4 minutes.
• Add the garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Salt to taste and serve.

CREAMY DIJON SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat.
• 2. Remove from heat; add 3 tablespoons all purpose flour, stirring until all lumps are dissolved.
• 3. Add 2 tablespoons dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring until lumps are dissolved.
• 4. Return pan to medium heat; immediately add 1 cup milk; stir to combine, then stir constantly until sauce begins to simmer and thicken.
• 5. Stir in 1 cup cream; continue stirring until sauce begins to gently bubble. Remove from heat; taste for seasoning; cover and keep warm until served.

FIDDLEHEAD FERNS

Steps:

• Before you're ready to cook cut about 1/8-inch off the thick ends if they look brown and rinse the fern shoots thoroughly to get rid of the brown fuzzy chaff that clings to their sides. Dry the shoots thoroughly before cooking by first spinning them in a lettuce spinner and then patting them with paper towels. Melt butter in a pan at medium heat. Add garlic, parsley and fiddleheads to the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute for 5 minutes or until they are done.

SAUTEED FIDDLEHEADS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook fiddlehead ferns in the boiling water until barely tender, 7 to 10 minutes; drain.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the prepared fiddlehead ferns, garlic, and the salt and pepper. Cook and stir until ferns are tinged lightly brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with lemon juice.

STEAMED FIDDLEHEADS WITH HORSERADISH SCALLION SAUCE

Steps:

• In a steamer set over boiling water steam the fiddleheads for 5 minutes, or until they are crisp-tender, transfer them with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop the cooking, and transfer them to paper towels to drain. In a small bowl whisk together the yogurt, the mayonnaise, the lemon juice, the mustard, the horseradish, the scallion, and salt and pepper to taste, whisking until the sauce is smooth, and serve the fiddleheads topped with the sauce.
• To clean fresh-picked fiddleheads
• Snap off the crisp, bright green fiddlehead tops from ostrich ferns, leaving about 2 inches of stem attached. Rub off the dry brown casings by hand or put the fiddleheads in a wire salad basket and whirl the basket outdoors to remove the casings. Let the fiddleheads soak in a sink half full of cold water, changing the water several times to remove any grit or casing particles, and drain them. The fiddleheads keep, covered and chilled, for 1 week.