About the Recipe
This is a classic that can easily be modified from its inherent delicious flavor by adding spices or herb reductions. For example, adding tarragon from a reduction changes it from a Hollandaise sauce into a Béarnaise sauce.
Ingredients
Base Ingredients
5 egg yolks
½ pound of unsalted butter
Salt to taste
For Hollandaise
½ teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of dry white wine
For Béarnaise
¼ teaspoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of dried tarragon
⅓ cup of dry white wine
➡️ Prepare all of your ingredients in advance (Mise en Place).
Preparation
➡️ Please read the entire recipe before proceeding.
Preparation
Hollandaise and Béarnaise sauces are made using the same process but flavored differently. Hollandaise is typically flavored with lemon juice while Béarnaise is flavored with tarragon.
If you want to make a Béarnaise sauce, start by making a tarragon white wine reduction:
In a small pot, combine:
1-2 teaspoons of dried tarragon
¼ - ⅓ cup of dry white wine
Bring to a light boil and let the wine reduce a bit. Once the boiling point is reached, just a few minutes of simmering is sufficient.
Remove from heat and let the reduction cool before using.
You can use this process to create a reduction with any herb. For example, oregano is used to make a reduction for Cesar dressing.
For Hollandaise or Béarnaise
Start by selecting a medium sized pot for boiling water. Then, select a stainless steel bowl that can sit on top of the pot to act as a double boiler.
You need only a small pot and a stainless steel bowl approximately 8 inches in diameter. The pot of boiling water will only be used to slightly warm the egg yolks before blending in the butter. This is what is referred to as "tempering".
Bring the water to a light boil.
Melt the butter over low heat and then pour it into a large, glass, spouted measuring cup to make it easier to pour.
Make sure the butter does not get too hot. As soon as the butter is completely melted, remove it from the heat.
Use unsalted butter as regular butter is inherently too salty for the sauce.
Tempering the Egg Yolks
Put the egg yolks in a medium sized stainless steel bowl and whisk them for 15 seconds.
While whisking constantly, rest the bowl of egg yolks over the pot of boiling water for 2 seconds and then remove it and continue whisking for 5 seconds. Repeat this process 3 more times.
Making The Sauce
Wet a tea towel, wring it dry and roll it along its length. Arrange it in a circle on the counter and rest your bowl of tempered egg yolk on top of it. This will prevent the bowl from spinning around during the next step.
While constantly whisking quickly, gradually incorporate the butter with the egg yolks by pouring it very slowly.
If you pour the butter too quickly, the sauce will separate and look like curdled milk. The key is to pour the butter very slowly, in a thin stream.
If the butter begins to build up, stop pouring and keep whisking to incorporate the butter gradually. Attention to this detail is essential for a successful hollandaise sauce.
For Hollandaise Only
Once you have added approximately ½ of the butter, begin incorporating the lemon juice ¼ teaspoon at a time, while whisking constantly.
Go back and forth from butter to lemon juice until you have gone through all the juice.
Incorporate the dry white wine in the same way. A bit at a time while whisking briskly and constantly.
For Béarnaise
Once you have added approximately ½ of the butter, begin incorporating ¼ teaspoon of lemon juice, while whisking. Then, add some of the wine from the tarragon white wine reduction. Add just a ¼ teaspoon at a time, while whisking constantly. You will only need about one teaspoon of wine reduction in total.
For Béarnaise or Hollandaise
Continue incorporating the rest of the butter.
Butter contains milk, which will have separated and will be at the bottom of your cup when you have added almost all of the butter. Do not incorporate all of the milk as it will make the sauce too runny.
Add salt to taste.
For Béarnaise
Strain some the tarragon out of the white wine reduction and add it to the sauce. Try not to add any extra liquid. You don’t have to add all the tarragon, just enough to give the sauce a nice look.
Grind a bit of red peppercorns into the sauce. This will make the sauce pretty while adding flavor.
Whether you are making Béarnaise or Hollandaise, you should cover the bowl with cling wrap once the sauce is done. Keep the sauce in warm area so it will not solidify.
Do not refrigerate the sauce or it will harden.
