Hollandaise sauce is buttery and creamy with a hint of lemon, and goes well with a variety of your favorite foods!
One of the earliest mentions of this rich and creamy sauce is from a cookbook in the mid-1600's. Despite the name, this buttery sauce most likely started out as Sauce Isigny, named after a small village in Normandy, France known for its prized dairy products. Sometime later the name was changed, referencing a source of butter from Holland. No matter where it came from, this sauce is rich and creamy and complements many dishes including eggs, meats, and vegetables. We love it over asparagus!
I remember first making this sauce in college to spoon over Eggs Benedict, and I have loved it ever since. Many people are intimidated by the sauce and opt for a packaged version instead, but please do try it from scratch. It's not as hard as you think and the taste is fresh and delicious. This is a fast and simple traditional recipe that makes use of a double boiler and a whisk.
What you'll need
Butter and a few other basic ingredients.
- Unsalted butter
- Fresh eggs
- Fresh squeezed lemon juice
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
Cooking tools and pans:
- Use a double boiler to heat this sauce over simmering water.
- Use a stainless steel mixing bowl if you have one. There is a chemical in plastic bowls that reacts with the eggs can make them hard to mix.
Follow these tips for rich and creamy Hollandaise sauce every time
Since this is not a complex sauce, you will be able to adjust some ingredients to your taste and not worry about not having it turn out. Here are a few basics to keep in mind:
- Heat ingredients slowly while whisking constantly.
- Keep the heat low and simmer the water, don't boil it.
- Use fresh squeezed lemon rather than juice from a bottle.
- Use unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter, skip the rest of the salt in the recipe.
Rich and creamy Hollandaise is as versatile as it is delicious
Ingredients
- 4 fresh egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- paprika
Instructions
- Put the butter into a small pan and place over a low heat. Be careful to melt the butter without browning it.
- Pour the separated egg yolks and the lemon juice into a stainless steel bowl and whisk until well blended.
- Pour the egg mixture into the double boiler filled with water over a low heat, whisking constantly.
- Slowly pour in the warm butter into the eggs. Whisk until the sauce becomes thick.
- Remove from heat and stir in salt.
- Pour over food and garnish with paprika if desired.
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