Lemon-Butter Artichokes

Trim the artichoke stems with a sharp knife, leaving about an inch. Cut an inch off of the leaves at the top and trim the spiky ends of the outer leaves. Rinse in cold water. Place artichokes in a large stockpot; fill with water until the artichokes float. Wash lemon and cut in half between the ends. Slice one half and add to the water along with rosemary sprig and teaspoon of salt. Cover, turn on high, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down a notch and continue boiling. Cook time varies significantly based on the size and age of the artichokes. Boil 20 to 60 minutes, checking every 10 or 15 minutes. They’re done when a knife easily slides through the stem lengthwise and the leaves are easy to pull off.

Using tongs, place artichokes, stem side up, in a strainer to drain and cool until they’re easy to handle. Slice each artichoke in half through the stem and scoop out the clump of fuzzy, satiny threads near the stem (careful: the threads are thin and sharp!), along with the small clump of spiky purple leaves just behind it.

Melt butter and let cool. Blend egg yolk and Dijon with an immersion blender while slowly adding the melted butter until mixture thickens, then mix in 2 tablespoons juice (from the remaining half-lemon), and black pepper. (If desired, you can skip the egg yolk and blender and simply mix remaining ingredients with a spoon.)

To eat, pull off each leaf, dip the end that was attached to the artichoke in the dipping sauce and scrape the tender flesh off with your teeth, discarding the rest of the leaf. Once you’ve made your way through the leaves, eat the remaining soft flesh near the stem.