People often ask me why the asparagus in my eponymous restaurant tastes so much better than similar-looking spears they’ve had elsewhere. The answer is simple: We cook each batch to order. Most kitchens blanch the asparagus early in the day and then reheat it just before serving; a lot of flavor is lost that way. This is one of the first lessons my chef de cuisine Mark Lapico teaches new cooks at my flagship. Once you try this recipe at home, you’ll never throw your asparagus in ice water again. Of course, you can make this dish with olive oil, but it’s especially good with butter.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　Kosher salt

　　2 pounds jumbo asparagus (about 16 spears), trimmed and peeled

　　1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

　　1-ounce block Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

　　1 lemon

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it. Add the asparagus and cook until bright green and just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a serving plate.

　　

Step 2

Rub the butter all over the asparagus until melted. Using a Microplane or other fine grater, grate enough cheese to cover the asparagus in a single layer.

　　

Step 3

Using the same grater, zest a quarter of the lemon over the cheese. Grind black pepper over the zest and serve immediately.

　　Reprinted with permission from Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Genevieve Ko. Copyright © 2011 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family.Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.