How to Make Gourmet French Hollandaise Sauce

One mark of a very experienced gourmet cook is their hollandaise sauce. While there is nothing special about the ingredients, getting them to combine into the lemony smooth, thick, butter-smelling sauce requires patience and constant attention. This recipe makes 1 1/2 cups of the sauce to serve over eggs, fish, asparagus, or broccoli.

Things You'll Need

• Double boiler
• Whisk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 stick butter
• 1 tablespoon cream
• 1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare the eggs and butter first. Separate the egg yolks. Place them into a bowl. Set them aside until it is time to add them to the saucepan. The egg whites can be saved for another recipe or discarded. Cut the stick of butter into four equal parts. Set it aside as well.

2. Place the double boiler over a low heat. Do not allow the water to become so hot that it forms bubbles. Add 1 tablespoon of cream, 1 tablespoon of Tarragon vinegar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into the top of the double boiler. Let these ingredients warm up before adding the egg yolks.

3. Add all 4 egg yolks to the saucepan at once. Beat the mixture with a whisk to thicken it. then add one part of the butter. Beat it until it has become absorbed into the sauce. Do the same thing with each of the other parts of the butter.

4. Keep beating the sauce as the butter melts. This will thicken the sauce as well as prevent it from curdling. After all of the butter has become incorporated into the sauce, remove it from the heat.

5. Add additional lemon juice, salt, and cayenne powder to taste. In the event that the hollandaise aauce begins to curdle, Graham Kerr, the "galloping gourmet," recommends that you beat in one ice cube. Then slowly warm the sauce again, stirring constantly.

Resources

• About Sauces