I’m so happily sharing vegetables with you today.

Herb Gorgonzola Artichokes with Parmesan Hollandaise I howsweeteats.com

Clearly.

But are these, like… realllly vegetables? Because this whole shebang tastes way too good to be classified as such.

I’m skeptical.

Herb Gorgonzola Artichokes with Parmesan Hollandaise I howsweeteats.com

Oh and? This was my first time making hollandaise. What?

Doesn’t make any sense, but it’s totally true. For awhile I wasn’t even sure I LIKED hollandaise. Thank God I made it through that phase bright eyed and bushy tailed. And I actually whisked this together myself. I thought my arm might fall off. I whined a lot. Complained. Pouted. Whined some more.

Simply put, I was not at my best. Maybe you should use a blender.

Herb Gorgonzola Artichokes with Parmesan Hollandaise I howsweeteats.com

So here’s the deal:

Whole artichokes are definitely a special treat around these parts. We often consume artichoke hearts, from canned to marinated to frozen, in salads, on pizza and in dip, but the actual entire ‘choke only makes an appearance on holidays or when I decide I JUST CAN’T TAKE IT ANY LONGER! and buy them for $3 a piece. And then I come home and tell my husband “oh look! artichokes were on sale! so I bought 6!”

Lies.

Herb Gorgonzola Artichokes with Parmesan Hollandaise I howsweeteats.com

These artichokes aren’t quite as stuffed as the traditional ones I make…  I like to think that they are just lightly grazed with herbs and gorgonzola, but at the same time, packed with flavor. The gorgonzola helps “glue” the crumbs to each leaf, which in turn remain on the leaves – even through a solid hollandaise dip. And solid each dip was. Trust me.

Herb Gorgonzola Artichokes with Parmesan Hollandaise I howsweeteats.com

I wish you could have been a fly on the wall for the aftermath of these photos. A witness, if you will.

The minute I set down my camera, my husband and I completely devoured three whole artichokes continuously dipped in hollandaise. They were absolutely terrific. I mean, really – we stood at the corner of the table, dip after dip, until we were left with nothing but a huge pile of teethed leaves. We didn’t even sit down. We didn’t speak. We didn’t look at each other. For a full 15 minutes we just constantly ate, bite after bite, until there was nothing left. It might be one of my most favorite moments ever. Forevah evah.

Herb Gorgonzola Artichokes with Parmesan Hollandaise I howsweeteats.com

Ingredients:

Herb Gorgonzola Artichokes 

  • 4 whole medium artichokes
  • 3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
  • 3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil
  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese
  • pinches of salt and pepper

Parmesan Hollandaise

  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tablespoon water
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • salt + pepper

Directions:

Herb Gorgonzola Artichokes 

Cut the stem from the bottom of the artichokes so it can sit upright, then trim off the tops of the pointy leaves with kitchen shears. Fill a large pot (one big enough to fit all 4 artichokes) with water, bring to a boil, then place the artichokes top-side down in the pot. If they keep turning over, place a plate on top to help keep them top-side down. Boil for 15-20 minutes. Remove and let drain upside down on a plate.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, herbs, gorgonzola, salt and pepper, mixing together with your hands. Add in olive oil and using a spoon, mix until completely combined. Then use your hands to really bring it all together. Separate it into four equal parts, then lightly pull open each artichoke and stuff a bit into each. Place top-side up in a baking dish, then pour about 1/3 cup of water in the bottom of the dish. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove, serving with hollandaise.

Parmesan Hollandaise

In a small saucepan, combine egg yolks, lemon juice and water, then set aside. In another saucepan, add butter and heat over low heat until melted. Immediately remove and set aside for 3 minutes. While the butter is cooling, heat the other saucepan with the egg yolks over low heat, whisking constantly until foamy and then smooth. I whisked for about 5 full minutes, as you want the yolks to be slightly paler in color.

Skim the foam off the top of the butter.

Remove yolks from heat while still whisking, and add in butter a drop at a time, constantly whisking for about 30 seconds after. I added about 10 small drops (whisking after each), then moved to adding about 1 teaspoon at a time, whisking again. It takes a long time but is totally worth it. About 3/4 of the way through, you should notice the mixture really thickening and lightening in color. The recipe recommended leaving the white solids of the butter in the saucepan, but my butter was still pretty melted so I added almost all of it – this did not affect the final outcome. Once all butter has been added and sauce is thick, whisk in parmesan cheese and taste. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Hollandaise is only good for about an hour after it is made, so consume it quickly!

Parmesan Hollandaise recipe from gourmet, I simply reduced the amounts and added parmesan

All images and text ©.

Did you make this recipe?

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page.

I appreciate you so much!

 

Herb Gorgonzola Artichokes with Parmesan Hollandaise I howsweeteats.com

Annnnd now I’m annoyed because I want more.