Mastering Sauce Emulsions
Emulsions are the difference between a broken, oily mess and a glossy, professional sauce. Mastering this requires patience with your pouring hand and a sharp eye for the changing viscosity of the liquid in your bowl.
Temperature and speed are your constraints.
Ensure your base is not boiling, or you will scramble the eggs. If the sauce breaks, stop pouring immediately and add a teaspoon of warm water to a new bowl before whisking the broken sauce into it slowly.
- heavy-bottomed mixing bowl
- balloon whisk
- damp kitchen towel
- fine-mesh sieve
What goes in.
- 2large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 tbspDijon mustard
- 1 cupneutral oil or melted butter
- 1 tspacid (lemon juice or vinegar)
Embrace the drop-by-drop start
Begin by adding your fat a literal drop at a time while whisking vigorously. Do not increase the flow until the mixture looks thick and pale; only then can you move to a thin, steady stream.
The method.
Secure your bowl
Place a damp kitchen towel in a ring under your bowl to keep it from sliding while you whisk with one hand.
Create the base
Whisk the egg yolks and mustard together until they are well combined and lightened in color.
Initiate the emulsion
Add the fat one drop at a time, whisking continuously. Watch for the texture to turn opaque and thick.
Form the stream
Once the emulsion is established, pour the remaining fat in a slow, pencil-thin stream. If the oil sits on top, stop pouring and whisk until it disappears.
Adjust and finish
Whisk in your acid at the very end to sharpen the flavor and adjust the final thickness.
Other turns to take.
Vinaigrette
Uses mustard as the primary emulsifier to keep oil suspended in vinegar.
Hollandaise
Uses warm clarified butter and egg yolks, requiring heat control to keep the eggs smooth.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If your arm gets tired, rest your hand on the side of the bowl to maintain a consistent speed.
Using a room-temperature base makes the fat incorporate more readily.
If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a few drops of warm water rather than more oil.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my sauce turn into a thin liquid?
The fat was likely added too quickly. The droplets became too large to suspend. Start over with a fresh yolk and slowly whisk the broken sauce into it.
Does it matter which way I whisk?
Consistent, circular motion is most effective for pulling air into the mixture and keeping the tension even.
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