Hollandaise Sauce

By Ross_Hepburn

Ingredients

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
• Salt to taste
• White pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1

In the top of a double boiler or heat-proof bowl whisk the egg yolks until they become thick and sticky. Whisk in the water and lemon juice. Place the pan or bowl over a saucepan of simmering, not boiling, water. Whisk until the mixture is warm, about 2 minutes. (If mixture appears to become lumpy dip the pan immediately into a bowl of ice water to cool, whisking until smooth and then continue recipe.) The yolk mixture has thickened enough when you can see the bottom of the pan between strokes and the mixture forms a light cream on the wires of the whisk.

While whisking the yolk mixture add the pieces of butter, a tablespoon at a time, whisking to incorporate before adding more butter. As the mixture begins to thicken and become creamy, the butter can be added more rapdily.

Season the sauce to taste with salt, white pepper, and lemon juice. To keep the sauce warm, set the pan or bowl in lukewarm water, or in a thermos.