Hollandaise sauce is a classic French sauce made from egg yolk, butter, lemon juice or vinegar, and cayenne. It has a rich, creamy texture and is used as a topping for eggs benedict and other breakfast dishes, as well as on fish and vegetables. The sauce has a long history dating back to the 17th century and has many variations, including béarnaise sauce. Making hollandaise sauce requires a double boiler and a wire whisk, and it’s important to add ingredients slowly to prevent the sauce from “spreading.”
Hollandaise sauce is the favorite of most chefs and food critics. In its classic form, it’s a rich sauce made from egg yolk, butter emulsified with a dash of lemon juice or white wine vinegar and a dash of cayenne. There are as many variations as there are palate preferences, and this sauce has become the foundation for a myriad of wonderful one-of-a-kind recipes.
Dating back to 1651, Francois Pierre de la Varene included an unnamed sauce in his famous Le Cuisinier Francois that had similar ingredients and cooking techniques to hollandaise sauce. This popular French cookbook started a new chapter in modern French cooking and contained many new signature dishes that are considered classics today.
In 1758, a hollandaise sauce was included in Marin’s Dons de Comus. This cookbook was considered the service manual and repertoire of dishes. The recipe called for butter, broth, flour and herbs. Egg yolks weren’t part of the original recipe.
The idea was that the correct use of butter emulsified the texture correctly. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the familiar egg yolk and butter recipe reappeared. The key to making hollandaise sauce correctly is using a double boiler and a wire whisk. It’s a learned skill that emulsifies ingredients to a smooth, rich, creamy texture. It is initially the same as making an eggnog or eggnog.
The water in the lower pan should not reach a boiling point. You need to maintain a constant simmer as you add and emulsify the ingredients. The danger of adding ingredients too quickly is that the sauce will “spread”.
Hollandaise sauce is fun to experiment with and many variations can be created. By swapping lemon zest for lime, it adds an extra element to seafood and freshwater fish. The addition of chopped basil creates a perfect sauce for dressing fresh asparagus and other vegetables.
You can’t think of hollandaise sauce without thinking of béarnaise sauce. By simply adding tarragon, chervil, parsley and black pepper to hollandaise sauce, you get the perfect red meat gravy. Adding blood oranges, whipped cream, Dijon mustard or white wine are a few other options.
Primarily a breakfast or brunch favorite, hollandaise is most famous as a topping on eggs benedict. Poached eggs are layered over an English muffin, with a layer of Canadian bacon, topped with hollandaise sauce. Some chefs also add a layer of turkey.
Other variations of this brunch favorite include Sardinian eggs, which is an artichoke heart base, topped with steamed spinach, layered with poached eggs, and topped with hollandaise sauce. Hollandaise sauce is also served on fish and vegetables at other meals.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
