Hollandaise sauce
Egg yolks whisked over gentle heat until thick and pale, then slowly emulsified with melted butter and sharpened with lemon juice.
Method
- 1
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then pour it into a jug and keep it warm.
- 2
Bring 3 cm of water to a bare simmer in a medium saucepan, then turn the heat to low.
- 3
Whisk the egg yolks with the cold water in a heatproof bowl until frothy.
- 4
Set the bowl over the pan without letting it touch the water, and whisk constantly.
- 5
Keep whisking until the yolks are pale, thickened and leave a trail on the surface when the whisk is lifted.
- 6
Take the bowl off the pan and set it on a damp cloth so it stays steady.
- 7
Add the warm butter a few drops at a time, whisking constantly, until the sauce starts to thicken.
- 8
Pour in the rest of the butter in a thin, steady stream, still whisking, leaving any milky residue in the jug behind.
- 9
Whisk in the lemon juice, cayenne and a pinch of salt.
- 10
Taste and add more lemon or salt, then serve straight away while warm.
Notes
- If the bowl gets too hot the yolks scramble. Lift it off the pan for a few seconds whenever it feels more than warm on the base.
- If the sauce splits, whisk a fresh yolk with a spoonful of warm water in a clean bowl, then whisk the split sauce into it a little at a time.
- Keep it warm for up to 30 minutes in the bowl set over a pan of warm water off the heat. It cannot be reheated.
Equipment
Small saucepan, Medium saucepan, Heatproof bowl that sits over the pan, Balloon whisk, Jug