Enough for 3-4 servings
Ingredients
2 Egg Yolks
125gm Unsalted Butter (melted)
60ml white wine Vinegar
Splash Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 tablespoon Peppercorn
Pinch of Salt to taste
Splash of Worcestershire Sauce or Sriracha (optional)
Preparation Method
Boil the vinegar together with Peppercorn until its reduced by half. Strain and put aside.
Slowly melt the butter in a pan removing the foam.
Boil a large pan of water, then reduce to a simmer. Using a balloon whisk, beat together the egg yolks and 1 tsp of the reduced wine vinegar in a heatproof bowl that fits snugly over the pan.
Beat vigorously until the mixture forms a foam, but make sure that it doesn’t get too hot. To prevent the sauce from overheating, take it on and off the heat while you whisk, scraping around the sides with a plastic spatula. The aim is to achieve a golden, airy foam which forms ribbons when the whist is lifted.
Whisk in a tablespoonful of the liquid butter, a little at a time, then return the bowl over a gentle heat to cook a little more. Remove from the heat again and whisk in another spoon of butter. Repeat until all the butter is all incorporated and you have a texture as thick as mayonnaise. [Whatever you do, do NOT dump all the butter into your egg mixture and whisk away thinking that it will eventually emulisfy – it won’t]
Finally, whisk in the lemon juice and the Worcestershire Sauce (or Sriracha), season with a little Salt and Pepper, plus a little warm water from the pan if the mixture is too thick.
Serve your Hollandaise immediately. Do not reheat. It is meant to be eaten only lukewarm, and cannot be stored.
The sauce will last at room temperature for up to an hour, but if you want to keep the sauce for longer then the bowl can be left sitting on a larger bowl of warm (just higher than body temperature) but remember to continue to stir it as you don’t want it to cook and thicken further.
Great for Eggs Benedict!
[Hot Tip: Bringing the Hollandaise and poached egg together – both warm/hot is problematical. Make things easier by cooking all the poached eggs in advance and when ready remove them with a slotted spoon and plunge them in some iced water. Once your Hollandaise sauce is ready, plunge the cold eggs into simmering water (you can use the hot water for the Hollandaise but take it off the heat) for about 20 seconds. place onto of your bagel/bacon/smoked salmon etc and coat with the Hollandaise Sauce]
Ormside Kitchen 