A good hollandaise sauce lifts any dish to the next level. Think perfectly poached eggs, asparagus or a beautiful piece of fish. The secret lies in the temperature and the patience with which you add the butter. In your stainless steel pan you stay in control, ensuring the mixture becomes just thick enough and develops that silky smooth texture.
Ingredients for hollandaise sauce
500 g unsalted butter | 4 eggs | 2 tsp lemon juice | 4 tsp white wine vinegar | 4 tbsp water | Salt and pepper | 2 sprigs of parsley
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat, without letting it brown. Fill a pan with a layer of water and bring it gently to the boil. Separate the eggs and beat the egg yolks with the lemon juice, vinegar and water in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl on top of the pan (bain-marie), making sure the bowl does not touch the water and continue beating until you have a thick, fluffy sauce base.
Remove the bowl from the heat and slowly add the melted butter drop by drop, while continuing to beat. Make sure the butter and eggs are at approximately the same temperature to prevent curdling. Use a thermometer if necessary; 65°C is the best temperature.
Season the sauce with salt and pepper and stir in some finely chopped parsley. Serve immediately so that the sauce remains nice and warm and creamy.
Spoon the hollandaise sauce over your dish and enjoy the silky smooth, rich flavour that is so characteristic of this classic sauce.
