Hollandaise Sauce

Today is National Eggs Benedict Day!!! One of my favorite things to eat for breakfast. The hardest part is the Hollandaise sauce because it is an emulsion of butter and egg. Which is why it is soo good. Hollandaise sauce is a very delicate sauce but is worth the extra trouble to make from scratch.  The powdered mixes don’t come close. 

To make clarified butter melt down one stick on low until only the fat is left.  I like to continue cooking my butter so that the solids toast just a little bit. It adds a little flavor to the sauce.  The clearer your butter is the better your sauce will come out so I will strain it through a strainer with a cheep paper towel or a coffee filter.  

It is important to whip your sauce with a wire whip because the sauce can break with too much friction.  It can also break if you add in the butter too fast or reheat the sauce later on.  A trick used by many chefs if the sauce does break is to add in just enough cream to bring it back together.

4 ea................ Egg Yolks

¼ c................. Warm Clarified Butter

to taste........... Salt

1 Tbs.............. Fresh Lemon Juice

¼ tsp.............. Tabasco

1.    Place egg yolks in a small bowl and slowly whip in the butter with a wire whip.

2.    Whip in the remaining ingredients,

3.    Serve right away.

When I make Eggs Benedict, I like to grill my English muffin with butter on a flat grill. Then instead of a traditional Benny with Canadian bacon, I like to do thick sliced & grilled tomato, steamed spinach and bacon. I also scramble my eggs because I don't like poached. If you want a fancier Benny you can use crab/crab cakes and asparagus. 

Hollandaise sauce can be used for many different things.  You can also take it a step further and turn it into béarnaise sauce by adding in some tarragon reduced in red wine vinegar.  I love to eat good French fries with béarnaise sauce.  Both sauces can also be used on  beef, chicken, seafood and veggies.  

Be creative, have fun and enjoy!!!