Asparagus and Riesling

Asparagus season in the Palatinate lasts exactly eighteen weeks. Those who know, or want to discover, just how good it can taste will find no better reason to plan a visit to Kloster Hornbach.

Barely has the last frost passed when it reaches towards the light: white asparagus from the Palatinate. Until St John’s Day on 24 June, it reigns as the uncrowned king of the season, and the kitchen at Kloster Hornbach takes that moment very seriously. What we serve you during this time grows just a few kilometres away, in the sandy, light soil of a region celebrated for centuries for its exquisite “white gold”.

Palatinate asparagus is tender and fleshy, with a freshness that immediately tells you how short the journey from field to plate has been. In the kitchen at Klosters Hornbach, it is prepared both in the classical tradition and in more contemporary interpretations, always alongside regional produce that allows its flavour to truly shine.

Simply delicious, deliciously simple
We love asparagus in two ways: classically, with a light, foamy hollandaise and slices of regional ham, just as the Palatinate has enjoyed it for generations. And in more contemporary form: served simply, seasoned with wild herbs from the surrounding countryside and browned butter that brings out its delicate, mild character to perfection.
In the Palatinate, asparagus is inseparable from a glass of Riesling. This variety, which develops its full elegance on the loess soils and limestone slopes of the Deutsche Weinstraße, brings precisely the fruit acidity and mineral freshness that a fine asparagus dish needs for balance. Which means: a beautiful plate of asparagus before you, a dry Palatinate Riesling in your glass, and the first summer light falling across the monastery courtyard. What more could one ask for?

Preparing asparagus at home: our tips
Fresh asparagus can be identified by its tightly closed tips and a moist cut end that squeaks slightly when pressed together. At home, peel generously from top to bottom, leaving the tip intact. Add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar to the cooking water, both enhance the natural sweetness of the spears. Ten to fifteen minutes is sufficient, depending on thickness, for a result with a little bite remaining.

Nunc est bibendum, as Horace once declared: now is the time for drinking. We would add: and for feasting. Preferably with asparagus and Riesling. Preferably at Kloster Hornbach.