When made right, hollandaise sauce is rich, velvety and delicious. If you've seen any cooking shows, you may be afraid of your hollandaise sauce breaking but not to worry, if you take it step by step and
with a little practice, you'll be a pro (even if you don't get it right the first time!).
Hollandaise sauce is most often seen as a topping for a delicious Eggs Benedict (or variation) but its also delicious on veggies (especially asparagus or broccoli) or be used to dress up fish, scallops or chicken. Be sure to check out my delicious Crab Benedict recipe - the buttery lemon flavor in this sauce compliments the crab so well!
This recipe is nonstop once you start so I recommend reading through the instructions first so you're able to stay focused on making the perfect sauce!
Perfect Hollandaise Sauce
Here's what you'll need:
10tbsp butter (1 stick plus 2tbsp)
4 eggs yolks
1tbsp lemon juice
1tbsp water
1/4tsp salt
1/8tsp pepper
1/8tsp cayenne pepper
Bring a saucepan of water to a light boil. Lightly melt your butter in measuring cup and set to the side. In medium glass bowl, combine egg yolks, lemon juice and water. Sit glass bowl on top of your boiling water pan (don't let water touch bottom of your bowl). Whisk constantly, alternating on and off heat (every 30-60 seconds) so the mixture doesn't get too hot - you do not want your eggs to scramble. When mixture is about doubled in size, slowly add in your butter (about 1/4 of it) and continue whisking. Keep adding in small portions while whisking until blended together. Add your salt, pepper (freshly ground pepper is great if you like it) and your cayenne and mix through. Adjust salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Serve warm (sauce will thicken some as it cools but you don't want it cold when served).
Tips from your Top Goose
Allow your butter to rest to room temperature - do not use cold butter.
Don't be afraid of the cayenne pepper - this sauce is not spicy and it adds so much richness
I recommend using a stainless steel pan for this recipe so you don't discolor your sauce.
If your sauce "breaks" it will be runny/separated (the butter separated from the egg yolk). You can try and slowly add a tbsp of cold water but likely you'll need to toss and start over. You likely didn't whisk fast enough or your butter was too cold.
If your sauce is lumpy or you see scrambled egg yolk parts, your heat was too high and you need to toss and start over.
If your sauce is too runny, you likely didn't whisk it hard enough or used too much butter - remember for next time but you can try whisking in warm water (one tbsp at a time) to thicken it up. You can use an electric mixer if you need to but I let this double as my arm workout!
This sauce does not reheat well so I recommend using any leftovers that day. If you used it for brunch benedict, try using the leftovers on your veggies (best on green veggies) or chicken/fish later in the day.
Find helpful product reviews on many of our favorite go-to products in The Silly Goose kitchen from our very own Head Honker at head-honker.com!
Disclaimer: This site includes affiliate links. If you use these links to make purchases, a commission may be earned.
Comments