Storified by Lucette Delacroix· Fri, Apr 19 2013 21:32:32
A classic French sauce made of butter, eggs, and lemon, hollandaise goes well with poached fish, vegetables and Eggs Benedict. In this recipe adapted from The White House Chef Cookbook by Rene Verdon, hollandaise sauce is made with the help of a blender, which practically guarantees a smooth and creamy consistency, which otherwise can be difficult to achieve with the traditional method of whisking the mixture by hand. A common problem when making hollandaise is the eggs curdling when too much heat is applied. When a blender is used, this problem is eliminated because the machine works quickly to combine all the ingredients together before it can even react to the hot water added to make the sauce perfectly.
Hollandaise is considered as one of the five mother sauces in French haute cuisine and is a must for any cook or chef in interested in European cookery. A basic Hollandaise sauce consists of an emulsion of egg yolk and butter, seasoned with lemon juice, salt, white pepper, or in some cases, cayenne pepper. It has an opaque and light yellow appearance with a smooth and creamy consistency. Its flavor is buttery and rich with a mild tang.
There are many ways to make Hollandaise sauce and some of these recipes require mixing in a bain-marie, double boiler or water bath to keep the eggs from scrambling or cooking too much. This recipe eliminates the need of cooking or heating over the stove and instead mixes everything in the blender with the heat coming from a few tablespoons of boiling water. It is important to mix the ingredients according to the instructions specified to prevent the sauce from clumping, which is the common problem of a poorly made hollandaise sauce. If made properly, hollandaise sauce should have no hint of separation.
Melt the butter in the microwave. Skim off the top, clearer portion of the clarified butter and leave the solids in the bowl.
Put the egg yolks in a blender and blend on low for 1 minute. Gradually add the boiling water, clarified butter, juice, and pepper, keeping the blender on low.
Increase the speed to high and blend until just mixed.
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