Hollandaise Sauce is one of my all time favourite sauces. This classic French sauce is a rich buttery delight and it’s really not that difficult to make at home. Serve it with asparagus, Eggs Benedict or with fish.
I stayed overnight at a hotel while on a course. I was delighted to see Eggs Benedict on the menu at breakfast and I just couldn’t resist as it’s one of my favourite dishes.
After eating my Eggs Benedict I realised that I have never made Hollandaise sauce and I thought it was probably about time I did.
Hollandaise has a reputation as being tricky but I chekced out a few recipes and it looked fairly straightforward. I had all the ingredients I needed to make it.
I served the hollandaise with salmon fillets and the sauce was perfect to enhance the fish.
1. Place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water on a medium heat. Add the egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of cold water and whisk together. Gradually add the butter, bit by bit until each addition has melted and emulsified as it is whisked in, before adding the next.
2. Once all the butter has been added, cook for a few minutes more, stirring regularly until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
3. Remove from the heat and keep warm if necessary, by covering with clingfilm and leaving to sit over the warm water, until you’re ready to serve.
What do I do if the Hollandaise Sauce splits?
My sauce made perfectly until I put in the lemon juice. Then it split and went grainy. I corrected the split by using the same technique as I use to correct split mayonnaise. Here’s what to do:
Take one more egg yolk and a clean bowl. Whisk the egg yolk and then gradually whisk the split sauce into the egg yolk over the simmering water. This worked for me so it’s well worth trying.
Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 egg yolks
- 110 g butter diced
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water on a medium heat.
- 2 egg yolksAdd the egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of cold water and whisk together.
- 110 g butterGradually add the butter, bit by bit until each addition has melted and emulsified as it is whisked in, before adding the next.
- Once all the butter has been added, cook for a few minutes more, stirring regularly until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- 1 pinch salt, 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp lemon juiceTaste and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
- Remove from the heat and keep warm if necessary, by covering with clingfilm and leaving to sit over the warm water, until you’re ready to serve.
Notes
Confession No. 2: I served this to my husband, he tasted it and said what a nice CHEESE sauce it was. I don’t know why I bother sometimes!
LDH says
It does seem easy enough ~ great correction after adding the lemon juice. I wonder why that happened?
Well, it does, kinda, maybe, look like cheese sauce 🙂
PapaCheong's 拿手好菜 says
Hi, I have been a silent reader of your blog and I have to admit that I have been 'stealing' receipes from your blog to try them out myself after seeing the nice picture you have been putting up but my outcome is never as nice as yours.
Andrew Davies says
I love Eggs Benedict and like you it lead me to making Hallandaise. I've made it quite a few times now but still sometimes it can go wrong splitting etc .. as you know!
There also seem to be varying recipes the one I use has white wine vinegar and Tarragon
Please Do Not Feed The Animals. says
I think if it has tarragon in it, it is Bernaise sauce – would that be right?
Hannah says
I have only ever tried it once and the lemon juice splitting happened with mine too. I think I'll try again now you've mentioned about saving it.
Jill@MadAboutMacarons says
Now that is just too funny. Monsieur who thinks of hollandaise as a mornay 🙂 It's rare when I get the chance to have breakfast in a hotel in the UK and when I do, I always go for eggs benedict. It's just such a mind-blowing luxury with a huge pot of tea… Now that you've posted this, Janice, no more excuses. High time I just made it myself for breakfast (as long as someone makes me a cuppa)
All That I'm Eating says
I just made some Hollandaise for the first time myself! I had heard it was tricky too but I'm so glad I tried it. Mine got too warm and looked like melted butter. After a cooling down, all was well though!
Choclette says
Your sauce looks so lovely and yellow. I've never made Hollandaise either, but I keep thinking I ought to cos I do like it. Must follow your lead.
Corina says
The first tiime I made hollandaise it was perfect and I wondered what all the fuss was about. The next time I made it in exactly the same way and it was a complete disaster – at least now I know what to do!
Greedyrosie says
You know, I made some very lemony lemon rice the other day and Mr G asked me, 'what flavour rice is this then?'
We are totally wasted on our men sometimes!