Hollandaise Sauce

This sauce has to be made just before serving and won't keep - you have to use it all so be generous. Serve it with Eggs Benedict, with fish or vegetables such as asparagus.

There are a number of ways of making the sauce - here are two.

If you want a sauce with a more robust flavour for red meat or chicken, try the Bernaise which is very similar in preparation.

You can store left over hollandaise sauce in the refrigerator but don't try to reheat it. Pour over steamed vegetables or your breakfast egg.

Quick Hollandaise

Ingredients:

  • 1 egg (yolk and white) at room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice (or white wine or tarragon vinegar)
  • a dash of Tabasco
  • 30g butter (if using unsalted, also add a pinch of salt)

Method:

  1. Put butter into a cup or jug that you can use in the microwave. Zap on high until hot and completely melted - will take about 30 - 40 seconds.
  2. Using a tall container suitable for a hand blender, combine the egg, mustard, lemon juice and Tabasco. Blend for about 10 seconds.
  3. With the blender going, start adding the melted butter into the egg mixture in a thin stream. It should thicken almost immediately.
  4. If it doesn't thicken, zap in the microwave for 10 seconds and whiz again. Repeat if necessary until you have a thick sauce.
  5. Keep the sauce warm until serving by placing the blender container in a bowl or pot of hot tap water.

Hollandaise Sauce

  • 3 tblsps white wine vinegar
  • 10 peppercorns
  • 3 tblsps water
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 200g unsalted butter (use salted butter if that's all you have but you won't need to add extra salt)
  • Sea salt
  • Squeeze of lemon

Method:

  1. Heat the vinegar, peppercorns and water in a medium saucepan and reduce liquid to about 1 tblsp.
  2. Strain the reduction into a small heatproof bowl - it should safely balance in the saucepan without touching the water - see step 7.
  3. Rinse the saucepan and heat the butter until melted.
  4. Carefully pour the butter into a small jug and discard the milk solids that have settled to the bottom of the pan.
  5. Rinse the saucepan again and add enough water to 1/4 fill the saucepan.
  6. Return the saucepan to the heat and bring to the boil - reduce to a simmer.
  7. Sit the heatproof bowl with the reduction into the saucepan and make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.
  8. Add the egg yolks, whisking with a balloon whisk until light and foamy.
  9. Keep whisking and slowly add butter (still melted but slightly cooled) until rich and creamy.
  10. Taste and season with salt if necessary and lemon juice.
  11. Set to one side and keep warm by placing the bowl into warm (not hot) water until ready to serve.