Making Classic Hollandaise
This is a sauce of rhythm and temperature control. Master the slow incorporation of butter, and you will never need to worry about a broken sauce again.
Control is everything.
Keep your butter warm but not scalding, and your bain-marie at a low simmer. If you stop whisking for a moment, the heat will create cooked egg bits, so stay focused.
- Medium stainless steel bowl
- Small saucepan
- Balloon whisk
- Heavy-bottomed butter melter
What goes in.
- 3 largeegg yolks
- 1 tbspfresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cupunsalted butter, clarified and warm
- 1 pinchfine sea salt
- 1 dashcayenne pepper
Patience with the stream
Whisk the yolks and lemon juice until they double in volume before adding any butter. Add the butter drop by drop initially to establish the emulsion before switching to a thin, steady stream.
The method.
Prepare the bain-marie
Fill a saucepan with an inch of water and bring to a gentle simmer. Place your mixing bowl on top; the bottom must not touch the water.
Whisk the base
Add yolks and lemon juice to the bowl. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is pale, frothy, and holds a ribbon trail when you lift the whisk.
Emulsify
Whisk in the warm clarified butter, a few drops at a time. Once the mixture begins to thicken into a custard-like state, pour the remaining butter in a thin, constant stream.
Season and finish
Remove from the heat. Whisk in the salt and cayenne. If it is too thick, whisk in a teaspoon of warm water to loosen the texture.
Other turns to take.
Béarnaise
Steep tarragon and shallots in white wine vinegar until reduced, then use that reduction instead of lemon juice.
Mousseline
Gently fold in two tablespoons of whipped heavy cream just before serving to lighten the texture.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If the sauce breaks and looks greasy, whisk a teaspoon of warm water into a fresh egg yolk in a clean bowl, then slowly incorporate the broken sauce into it.
Keep the butter at roughly 130°F. Too hot, and it will scramble the eggs; too cold, and it won't emulsify properly.
Serve immediately. Hollandaise does not reheat well and should be consumed within 30 minutes of preparation.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my sauce curdle?
The heat was likely too high or you added the butter too quickly. Keep the bowl over the steam only as long as necessary to thicken.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Not easily. You can keep it in a warm—not hot—place like a thermos, but it is a sauce meant for the moment.
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