FRENCH SAUCE HOLLANDAISE RECIPE
UNFLAVORED HOLLANDAISE RECIPE
Another of the French foundation/mother sauces that have enough personifications to confuse anyone but a French saucier. Classic renditions are Maltese, with orange juice and zest, and mousseline with incorporated whipped cream. But you can add just about anything such as smoked oysters, various mushrooms, and if you forgo adding the butter and use some sweet wine and sugar you have a classic French sabayon dessert that is also known a zabaglione in Italian cuisine. I make a lemon grass-green papaya-culantro Hollandaise that I use with Vietnamese pork chops.
7 ounces clarified butter
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoons water
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
To taste Tabasco or cayenne, chicken base, white pepper
- Clarify butter over medium heat, remove from heat and skim any particles floating on the top.
- Carefully remove the butter fat from the milk solids on the bottom of the pan using a ladle.
- Combine the water, lemon juice and egg yolks, in a stainless bowl or sauce pan with sloping sides.
- Whip the unheated ingredient vigorously until light and frothy.
- Heat directly over medium heat whipping vigorously until the sabayon triples in volume.
OR USE A WATER BATH, DOUBLE BOILER
- Slowly add the butter while gently whipping until the sauce thickens.
- Adjust pepper and seasoning to taste.
SAUCE BEARNAISE
7 ounces clarified butter
1 medium shallot
2 tablespoon fresh tarragon (or in vinegar)
½ teaspoons cracked black peppercorns
2 ounces white wine
2 ounces tarragon or white wine vinegar
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cold water
To taste salt
- Clarify butter by melting it over medium heat, remove from heat, and then skim any particles floating on the top.
- Carefully remove butter from the milk solids that have settled on the bottom using a ladle.
- Chop the shallot, add to the peppercorns, place in a small sauté pan with the tarragon leaves.
- Moisten the peppercorns mix with the vinegar then heat to a simmer and reduce till syrupy.
- Combine the water and egg yolks and whip until light and frothy in a stainless bowl or sauce pan with sloping sides.
- Heat directly over medium heat, or bain marie, whipping vigorously until the sabayon triples in volume.
- Remove from heat and continue to whip until the sauce thickens and cools.
- Add the gastrique reduction in increments checking for flavor as you proceed.
- If the sauce appears too thick it can be thinned with water, or heavy cream once the flavor is correct. If the sauce is too acidic add more clarified butter.
Some cooks add the entire reduction while others strain the reduction adding only the gastrique essence.
If you’re going to amend your sauce be sure to add your flavorings at the end of the construction process.
