Hollandaise Sauce
by: Chef Ed Richardson
Introduction
Hollandaise sauce has become an essential component of breakfast dishes with its rich and decadent egg-base and creamy, buttery flavor. It is one of the 5 mother sauces, the title used for 5 classic sauces associated with French cuisine, and can be the base for other sauces like choron, bearnaise sauce, or flavored hollandaise. Serve Hollandaise sauce right away because it does not hold well and is sensitive to time and temperature.
Ingredients
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups clarified butter or unsalted butter, melted
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Fill a medium-sized saucepan with a few inches of water and bring it to a simmer over medium heat on a Wolf Burner. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer.
Create a double boiler by placing the bowl over the simmering water, ensuring that the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
In a heatproof bowl that fits snugly on top of the saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, and wine until well combined.
Continue whisking the egg yolk mixture vigorously and constantly, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, for about 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens and becomes pale yellow.
Take the bowl off the heat. Turn the burner completely off. Carefully put a towel over where the flame was. Put the bowl on the towel.
Slowly drizzle in the melted butter while whisking constantly. It's important to add the butter gradually to prevent the sauce from breaking. Whisk until the sauce is smooth and well combined.