Hollandaise sauce is one of those things that always seems to impress other people. My friends still get impressed even though they have seen me make it before and know how easy it is. Maybe they just think the constant state of compliments will make me more likely to make them Eggs Benedict for breakfast when they stay over at my place.
The truth really is that this sauce is not that difficult. I think it gets a hard reputation because most people tend to only get it when they go out for brunch, and never really try to make it at home. Whatever the reason, the only thing you have to remember with any Hollandaise recipe is: constant movement. When making any sauce with eggs the main problem is that the eggs cook before incorporating into the sauce. So, as long as you follow this guide exactly, you can have a hollandaise sauce in just a few minutes.
Hollandaise Sauce is one of the five French mother sauces, along with Bechamel, Veloute, Tomate, and Espagnole. Thus, it should be known by every home cook…or at least one who primarily cooks Western cuisine. There are only three ingredients necessary in hollandaise sauce, which are egg yolks, butter, and lemon juice (or vinegar). Of course you can add seasonings like salt and pepper. Most people will use white pepper, but I like to use freshly cracked black peppercorns since I like the flavor a bit more.
Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients
- 2 Egg Yolks; from large eggs. When splitting the yolk and the white I find it easiest to either coddle the egg in between the two halves of the broken egg shell, or just dump the contents into my hand and let the white run through my fingers.
- 70 grams Butter. I used unsalted so I can taste for salt at the end.
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed.
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper; freshly cracked.
- Salt; to taste
Hollandaise Sauce Instructions
- In a bowl (I used glass but you can use metal. Avoid plastic) add the egg yolks and lemon juice and whisk rapidly. You want the lemon juice to fully incorporate and the mixture to be smooth.
- Place the butter in a ceramic or glass cup and put it into the microwave to melt. You can also melt the butter in a saucepan but that takes longer.
- Place a pot of water on the stove and turn up the heat to medium high. We want the water simmering, but do not want a rolling boil.
- Place the bowl on top of the pot taking note not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. If there is too much water just remove some. Once you put the bowl on the pot whisk rapidly so the eggs do not cook. We just want them to get warm.
- Slowly, very slowly, trickle in the butter to the egg yolk mixture constantly whisking. Do not stop whisking. By the time all of the butter is incorporated, the mixture volume should be at least doubled in size. Take the bowl off the pot and set aside. Add the pepper and taste for salt. Congrats, you’ve just made hollandaise sauce in only a few minutes.
Notes
You can add more lemon juice if you want to make a more tangy hollandaise. I do this when I put the sauce on an eggs benedict with smoked salmon, as the lemony tang complements the fish well.
Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 Egg Yolks large
- 70 grams Butter unsalted
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper freshly cracked
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl (I used glass but you can use metal. Avoid plastic) add the egg yolks and lemon juice and whisk rapidly. You want the lemon juice to fully incorporate and the mixture to be smooth.
- Place the butter in a ceramic or glass cup and put it into the microwave to melt. You can also melt the butter in a saucepan but that takes longer.
- Place a pot of water on the stove and turn up the heat to medium high. We want the water simmering, but do not want a rolling boil.
- Place the bowl on top of the pot taking note not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. If there is too much water just remove some. Once you put the bowl on the pot whisk rapidly so the eggs do not cook. We just want them to get warm.
- Slowly, very slowly, trickle in the butter to the egg yolk mixture constantly whisking. Do not stop whisking. By the time all of the butter is incorporated, the mixture volume should be at least doubled in size. Take the bowl off the pot and set aside. Add the pepper and taste for salt. Congrats, you’ve just made hollandaise sauce in only a few minutes.
