A thick, creamy butter and egg sauce with a fresh hint of lemon, whisked over a bain-marie to an airy emulsion. The base of countless derived sauces (including béarnaise), and indispensable with asparagus, poached egg or fish.
Sauce hollandaise
Sauce hollandaise
Method
01
Whisk the egg yolks
Whisk the egg yolks with the cold water and half of the lemon juice in a heatproof bowl until lightly frothy.
02
Whisk over a bain-marie
Set the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (the bowl must not touch the water). Whisk vigorously and continuously until the mixture is thick, airy and ribbon-like; this takes 3–5 minutes.
03
Mount the butter
Take off the bain-marie. Pour in the lukewarm clarified butter in a thin stream, whisking, until a thick, glossy sauce forms.
04
Finish
Season with the remaining lemon juice, salt, white pepper and, if you like, cayenne pepper.
05
Serve
Serve immediately, lukewarm; hollandaise can't be reheated without splitting.
Tips & notes
Never whisk the egg yolks over direct heat and never over water that is too hot; above 70 °C the yolks set to scrambled egg instead of a smooth sauce. Keep the sauce warm (not hot) by setting the bowl aside wrapped in a towel, for a maximum of an hour. Make the sauce just before serving. Keep it warm (not hot) in a water bath for an hour at most; reheating or freezing makes the emulsion split.
Variations
- Add a splash of orange juice for sauce maltaise, classic with asparagus.
- Whisk in braised, finely chopped sorrel for sauce à l'oseille with poached fish.
Contains:
Eggs
Milk
Serve with
| Calories | 537 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1 g |
| Fat | 59 g |
| Fibre | 0 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
