I CAN STILL SEE THE STUNNED EXPRESSION ON THE face of one dinner guest from Chicago when Sally was
bold enough to serve this okra as a first course at a dinner in Columbia, Missouri. Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, like me Sally had been thrust into an almost alien academic environment far from home, but, like me, she had no intention of neglecting her culinary roots just to satisfy the timid palates of the uninitiated. The irony is that after a couple of bites of this rather fancy okra dish, the shocked dinner guest was as quickly converted as are those who taste fried okra for the first time. Now, how he would have reacted to the dish without the luxurious sauce is another matter. Be sure to buy fresh, firm, small okra with no dark spots.
Makes 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 2 1⁄2 pounds fresh okra, stems trimmed without cutting into the pods
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 1⁄2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Tabasco sauce to taste
- 12 tablespoons (1 1⁄2 sticks) cold butter, cut into pieces
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the okra in a large saucepan with enough water to cover, bring to a low boil, and cook for about 5 minutes or till tender but still firm.
- Drain the okra and keep it warm.
- To make the sauce, combine the egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and Tabasco in a medium saucepan.
- Over low heat, whisk in the cold butter gradually until it is completely incorporated and the sauce is thick.
- To serve, transfer the cooked okra to a platter.
- Pour the sauce over the top of the okra.
