Basic Sauce Hollandaise

By norsegal8

To clarify the butter, bring it to a boil in a small saucepan and reduce the heat to a simmer. As the butter simmers, its water will boil off and its solids will drop to the bottom of the pan and foam will rise to the top. Skim away the foam until the butter becomes clear and stops foaming.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup hot clarified butter
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• Tabasco
• salt

Preparation

Step 1

1. Put the wine, shallots, thyme, peppercorns, bay leaf and vinegar into a small saucepan and boil over medium-high heat until reduced by half. Strain the reduction into a small bowl, discarding the solids.

2. Put 2 tablespoons of the reduction into a mediumheatproof mixing bowl. (Keep the remaining reduction in the refrigerator for future batches of hollandaise.) Whisk in 1 tablespoon water and the lemon juice.

3. Place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water over moderate heat. Whisk the egg yolks and cook them, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to heavily coat the back of a spoon, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pot.

4. Steady the bowl and continue whisking the eggs. Drizzle the hot clarified butter into the egg yolks in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Season the sauce with cayenne, Tabasco and salt.

5. Transfer the sauce to a warm sauceboat and serve soon. It will last for 1 hour or so, but it's best to use it just after it's been made and is still hot.