By: Helena Stallings, Culinary Arts Graduate
Our namesake, Auguste Escoffier, created the 5 mother sauces that every culinary arts student must know by heart; the Tomato Sauce, Béchamel, Veloute, Espagnole and lastly Hollandaise. Most people only think of hollandaise when they are thinking of the popular breakfast dish, Eggs Benedict, but the basic hollandaise is the base for many other sauces. To me, there is nothing better than a medium rare steak with a béarnaise sauce on top and the only change is that a béarnaise is a hollandaise with shallots and tarragon added in. A basic hollandaise is made by heating and whisking 2 egg yolks, 5 tbsp of water and 2 tsp vinegar in a bain-marie until they reach the ribbon stage. Then remove your bain-marie from the heat and slowly add in clarified butter. Egg yolks can hold up to 4 ounces of fat per yolk, so a 2 yolk hollandaise will take 8 ounces of butter. If your hollandaise becomes to thick add lemon juice to thin it out or use more butter to thicken it. Once it is the consistency you want season with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.
Hollandaise Sauce:
8 oz clarified butter
2 egg yolks
5 tbsp water
2 tsp vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste
- Combine yolks, water and vinegar in a metal bowl. Do not use plastic or glass.
- Cook the egg, water and vinegar mixture over a double boiler until the yolks are lighter in color and a ribbon consistency has been formed. Remove from heat.
- Heat the clarified butter to 125F.
- Slowly add the butter to the yolks, whisking constantly. Add a few drops of lemon juice if the sauce becomes too thick.
- Season to taste with salt, cayenne and lemon juice.
- Pour generous amounts over stacked muffin, egg and bacon and serve.
