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Hollandaise & Béarnaise sauce
Makes 300ml Sauces and accompaniments
Ingredients
- 300g cultured butter (see cultured butter recipe)
- 4tbsp white wine vinegar
- 4 large eggs, separated
- juice 1 lemon
Béarnaise sauce
- 300g cultured butter (see cultured butter recipe)
- 4tbsp white wine vinegar
- 4 banana shallots, finely chopped
- 3tbsp chopped tarragon
- 4 large eggs, separated
- juice 1 lemon
Method
Hollandaise
Melt the butter in a small, heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. When the butter is foaming, remove the pan from the heat and leave it to stand for a few minutes so that the white milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan. Pour the butter through a fine sieve and discard the solids.
Put the vinegar into a medium saucepan and add salt to taste. Let it simmer over a medium heat until the volume of liquid has reduced by more than half. Strain and leave to cool.
Lightly beat the egg yolks, then stir them into the cooled vinegar, followed by the lemon juice. Pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (do not allow the base of the bowl to touch the water). Whisk constantly until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and has increased slightly in volume.
Remove the bowl from the heat and pour in the clarified butter in a slow, steady stream, whisking continuously, so the mixture emulsifies to become smooth and thick. Season to taste.
Béarnaise sauce
Melt the butter in a small, heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. When the butter is foaming, remove the pan from the heat and allow to stand for a few minutes so that the white milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan. Pour the butter through a fine sieve and discard the solids.
Put the vinegar into a medium saucepan, then add the shallots, half of the chopped tarragon and salt to taste. Let it simmer over a medium heat until the volume of liquid has reduced by more than half. Strain and leave to cool.
Lightly beat the egg yolks, then stir them into the cooled vinegar, followed by the lemon juice. Pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (do not allow the base of the bowl to touch the water). Whisk constantly until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and has increased slightly in volume.
Remove the bowl from the heat and pour in the clarified butter in a slow, steady stream, whisking continuously, so the mixture emulsifies to become smooth and thick. Fold in the rest of the tarragon and season to taste.
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