Classic French Hollandaise Sauce Recipe Recipe Cards

CLASSIC HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, cold water, salt and pepper. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into butter. Continue whisking over low heat for 8 minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Serve immediately.

CLASSIC HOLLANDAISE

Steps:

• Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt and cayenne pepper to a medium heatproof bowl and whisk to combine.
• Set the bowl over a medium saucepan of gently simmering water (do not allow the bowl to touch the water). Slowly drizzle in the melted butter while whisking constantly and rapidly until the mixture is pale and has thickened, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula if needed. If the bowl feels hot to the touch, remove it from the heat and continue whisking until cooler. If the sauce starts to get lumpy, grainy or begins to separate, remove from the heat and whisk in a few drops of warm water. Return to the heat and continue whisking until all the butter has been added.
• Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning with lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve immediately or cover and hold in a warm place for up to 2 hours, whisking occasionally. The sauce should not be reheated.

CLASSIC HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Steps:

• Place egg yolks and water in the top of a double boiler and beat well with a wire whip or fork.
• Put all but 2 tbs of the butter in a small saucepan over moderately low heat (about 225F degrees) until just melted.
• Add 1 tbs of the cold butter to the egg and water mixture and place over hot, not boiling water.
• Whip constantly until egg yolks thicken slightly.
• Remove from heat and whip in the second tbs of cold butter.
• Gradually pour the melted butter into the egg mixture, beating constantly.
• Place over hot, not boiling, water (water below should not touch bottom of pan) cook until thickened, whipping constantly.
• Thickened Hollandaise should hold the imprint when a fork or whip is drawn across the surface.
• Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, salt, and cayenne.
• Sauce may be placed in top of double boiler over hot, not boiling, water, covered, and kept until serving time.
• Serve with vegetables, baked or broiled fish, and shell-fish.
• Note: if you use salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe.

CLASSIC HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the cut-up butter in a 1-cup glass measure with a pouring spout, and microwave until completely melted and clear but not bubbling (or heat in a warm oven, 190°F., about 30 minutes). Skim off any foam from the top, and cool until lukewarm but still liquid.
• Combine the vinegar, water, and seasonings in a 3-cup, heavy-bottomed, non-reactive saucepan, and simmer slowly over medium-low heat until the liquid reduces to 1 teaspoon. Mix in 1/2 tablespoon cool water, strain the liquid into a cup, and return it to the saucepan.
• Whisk in the yolk, then 1/4 of the clarified butter. Place over medium-low heat, and continue whisking across the bottom and around the sides of the pan until the yolk-and-butter mixture thickens to a sour cream consistency. If the yolk is overcooked, it will start to scramble; if undercooked (as in "blender Hollandaise" recipes), it will taste raw.
• Dunk the pan briefly in cold water; then slowly dribble in the rest of the butter off heat, whisking constantly, without including the milky liquid at the bottom. When all the butter is absorbed, the sauce should be the consistency of a medium-thick mayonnaise; whisk in the cream (or water) so it forms soft, slowly dissolving peaks.
• To keep the sauce from congealing, set it in a pan of hot tap water, but the sooner it is served, the better.
• If the sauce overheats or the butter is added too fast, the oily fat can separate out. If that happens, during or after cooking, it is easy to fix: Put a teaspoon of water in a small bowl, add a spoonful of the separating sauce, and whisk them together until creamy; then gradually add the rest of the sauce, spoonful by spoonful, until the whole thing is reconstituted.