Chef Dominique Crenn’s grilled asparagus recipe is a delicious twist on the classic side dish. Chef Crenn starts by blanching the asparagus in a flavorful broth made with vegetable scraps, then quickly grills some of the blanched asparagus on a hibachi. She finishes the dish with a swipe of lemon-scented crème fraîche and raw asparagus curls. Get the recipe here.

Dominique Crenn’s Grilled Asparagus Recipe

[Dominique Crenn](https://www.masterclass.com/classes/dominique-crenn-teaches-modern-vegetarian-cooking) is an award-winning chef and advocate for sustainability and equity in the culinary world. Though she is now among the world’s most celebrated chefs, her path to culinary greatness was not without its challenges. After being turned away from many French culinary schools due to antiquated opinions about female chefs, Chef Crenn set out for California, where she forged her own culinary identity rooted in personhood, memories, and mindfulness. 

In San Francisco, Chef Crenn opened Atelier Crenn, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant where diners receive a poem instead of a menu, with each dish represented by a line of poetry. Chef Crenn describes her [food philosophy](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/dominique-crenn-on-food-philosophy) as “poetic culinaria.”
Grilled asparagus is a preparation of asparagus involving the direct heat of a charcoal grill, gas grill, or hibachi grill. Grills allow you to place meat or vegetables in close contact with your fuel source, creating a smoky char. Often relegated to the role of side dish, grilled asparagus becomes the star of the plate in Chef Dominique Crenn’s Grilled Asparagus With Crème Fraîche recipe. Learn [how to grill asparagus](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-grill-asparagus) the standard way, then give Chef Crenn’s interpretation a try.
This recipe begins with court bouillon vegetable stock, a cornerstone of French home cooking made from whatever vegetables are available to you at a given moment in time. 

Chef Crenn recommends starting the stock first and adding the vegetable trim (discarded parts like stems, seeds, and rinds) as you prepare your mise en place so that the liquid absorbs the flavors of asparagus. Express the particularity of the season by adding other spring vegetables, such as fennel or parsnip. The lemon, chives, and crème fraîche contribute to the brightness and freshness of the final dish.
This recipe features simple ingredients—asparagus seasoned with a squeeze of lemon juice, flaky sea salt, and olive oil—so it’s important for the asparagus to be at its peak. Here’s what else to know:

1. __Trim the asparagus properly__. Thick asparagus spears tend to have woody ends. For the best eating experience, use a paring knife to trim the tip of the spear, then use a vegetable peeler to remove a couple of inches of the outer skin, starting at the base of the asparagus. Thin spears will likely require less prep work. Learn more about [how to cut asparagus](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-cut-asparagus).
2. __Blanch the asparagus before grilling__. Blanching the fresh asparagus before grilling it ensures that it will be perfectly fork-tender. The blanched asparagus will only need a minute or two on the grill to achieve char marks and a crispy texture. Learn more about [blanching asparagus](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/blanching-asparagus-guide).
3. __Use an ice bath__. The ice bath—a large bowl of roughly equal parts ice and cold water—plays two roles in this recipe. First, it stops carryover cooking of the blanched asparagus, ensuring the perfect crisp-yet-tender texture and bright green color. Later, you can use the same ice bath to make the asparagus curls. The ice-cold water causes thinly shaved asparagus to form tight curls. (You can use this technique with other shaved raw vegetables, like carrots.)
4. __Use the grill you have on hand__. Chef Crenn likes to grill asparagus on a hibachi, a small Japanese grill that requires less fuel and has narrower grill grates. However, you can cook asparagus on any type of grill, including a cast-iron grill pan, which will give your asparagus stalks grill marks but won’t add a smoky flavor. Use tongs to arrange the asparagus spears perpendicular to the grates. If you decide to invest in a hibachi grill, Chef Thomas Keller can show you [how to make hibachi chicken](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-cook-on-the-hibachi-with-chef-thomas-keller).
Cut off the ends of the asparagus spears, then use a peeler to remove the skins. Blanch the asparagus in vegetable broth and then transfer it to an ice bath to stop the cooking. After thirty seconds, transfer the blanched asparagus to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Then, use a hibachi grill to to lightly char the blanched asparagus.
To make the crème fraîche sauce, whisk together the crème fraîche and lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Use a mandoline to shave raw asparagus into thin ribbons. Transfer the asparagus ribbons to a bowl of ice water and let sit until curled, about ten minutes. Season the curled asparagus with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. To serve, place the grilled and raw asparagus on a bed of crème fraîche sauce and garnish with fresh herbs. 
Chef Dominique Crenn’s grilled asparagus recipe is a delicious twist on the classic side dish. Chef Crenn starts by blanching the asparagus in a flavorful broth made with vegetable scraps, then quickly grills some of the blanched asparagus on a hibachi. She finishes the dish with a swipe of lemon-scented crème fraîche and raw asparagus curls. Get the recipe here.

<a href='https://www.masterclass.com/classes/dominique-crenn-teaches-modern-vegetarian-cooking' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/classes/dominique-crenn-teaches-modern-vegetarian-cooking","linkCopy":"Dominique Crenn","category":null}'>Dominique Crenn</a> is an award-winning chef and advocate for sustainability and equity in the culinary world. Though she is now among the world’s most celebrated chefs, her path to culinary greatness was not without its challenges. After being turned away from many French culinary schools due to antiquated opinions about female chefs, Chef Crenn set out for California, where she forged her own culinary identity rooted in personhood, memories, and mindfulness. In San Francisco, Chef Crenn opened Atelier Crenn, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant where diners receive a poem instead of a menu, with each dish represented by a line of poetry. Chef Crenn describes her <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/dominique-crenn-on-food-philosophy' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/dominique-crenn-on-food-philosophy","linkCopy":"food philosophy","category":null}'>food philosophy</a> as “poetic culinaria.”

Meet Dominique Crenn

Grilled asparagus is a preparation of asparagus involving the direct heat of a charcoal grill, gas grill, or hibachi grill. Grills allow you to place meat or vegetables in close contact with your fuel source, creating a smoky char. Often relegated to the role of side dish, grilled asparagus becomes the star of the plate in Chef Dominique Crenn’s Grilled Asparagus With Crème Fraîche recipe. Learn <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-grill-asparagus' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-grill-asparagus","linkCopy":"how to grill asparagus","category":null}'>how to grill asparagus</a> the standard way, then give Chef Crenn’s interpretation a try.

What Is Grilled Asparagus?

This recipe begins with court bouillon vegetable stock, a cornerstone of French home cooking made from whatever vegetables are available to you at a given moment in time. Chef Crenn recommends starting the stock first and adding the vegetable trim (discarded parts like stems, seeds, and rinds) as you prepare your mise en place so that the liquid absorbs the flavors of asparagus. Express the particularity of the season by adding other spring vegetables, such as fennel or parsnip. The lemon, chives, and crème fraîche contribute to the brightness and freshness of the final dish.

About Dominique Crenn’s Grilled Asparagus Recipe

This recipe features simple ingredients—asparagus seasoned with a squeeze of lemon juice, flaky sea salt, and olive oil—so it’s important for the asparagus to be at its peak. Here’s what else to know:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Trim the asparagus properly. Thick asparagus spears tend to have woody ends. For the best eating experience, use a paring knife to trim the tip of the spear, then use a vegetable peeler to remove a couple of inches of the outer skin, starting at the base of the asparagus. Thin spears will likely require less prep work. Learn more about <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-cut-asparagus' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-cut-asparagus","linkCopy":"how to cut asparagus","category":null}'>how to cut asparagus</a>. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Blanch the asparagus before grilling. Blanching the fresh asparagus before grilling it ensures that it will be perfectly fork-tender. The blanched asparagus will only need a minute or two on the grill to achieve char marks and a crispy texture. Learn more about <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/blanching-asparagus-guide' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/blanching-asparagus-guide","linkCopy":"blanching asparagus","category":null}'>blanching asparagus</a>. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Use an ice bath. The ice bath—a large bowl of roughly equal parts ice and cold water—plays two roles in this recipe. First, it stops carryover cooking of the blanched asparagus, ensuring the perfect crisp-yet-tender texture and bright green color. Later, you can use the same ice bath to make the asparagus curls. The ice-cold water causes thinly shaved asparagus to form tight curls. (You can use this technique with other shaved raw vegetables, like carrots.) </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Use the grill you have on hand. Chef Crenn likes to grill asparagus on a hibachi, a small Japanese grill that requires less fuel and has narrower grill grates. However, you can cook asparagus on any type of grill, including a cast-iron grill pan, which will give your asparagus stalks grill marks but won’t add a smoky flavor. Use tongs to arrange the asparagus spears perpendicular to the grates. If you decide to invest in a hibachi grill, Chef Thomas Keller can show you <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-cook-on-the-hibachi-with-chef-thomas-keller' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-cook-on-the-hibachi-with-chef-thomas-keller","linkCopy":"how to make hibachi chicken","category":null}'>how to make hibachi chicken</a>. </li></ol>

4 Tips for Making Grilled Asparagus With Crème Fraîche

How to Make Dominique Crenn’s Grilled Asparagus With Crème Fraîche

Cut off the ends of the asparagus spears, then use a peeler to remove the skins. Blanch the asparagus in vegetable broth and then transfer it to an ice bath to stop the cooking. After thirty seconds, transfer the blanched asparagus to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Then, use a hibachi grill to to lightly char the blanched asparagus.

To make the crème fraîche sauce, whisk together the crème fraîche and lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Use a mandoline to shave raw asparagus into thin ribbons. Transfer the asparagus ribbons to a bowl of ice water and let sit until curled, about ten minutes. Season the curled asparagus with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. To serve, place the grilled and raw asparagus on a bed of crème fraîche sauce and garnish with fresh herbs.

Dominique Crenn’s Grilled Asparagus With Crème Fraîche Recipe

Chef Dominique Crenn’s grilled asparagus recipe is a delicious twist on the classic side dish. Chef Crenn starts by blanching the asparagus in a flavorful broth made with vegetable scraps, then quickly grills some of the blanched asparagus on a hibachi. She finishes the dish with a swipe of lemon-scented crème fraîche and raw asparagus curls. Get the recipe here.

Chef Dominique Crenn’s grilled asparagus recipe is a delicious twist on the classic side dish. Chef Crenn starts by blanching the asparagus in a flavorful broth made with vegetable scraps, then quickly grills some of the blanched asparagus on a hibachi. She finishes the dish with a swipe of lemon-scented crème fraîche and raw asparagus curls. Get the recipe here.
