All kinds of gravies significantly enrich the taste of vegetable side dishes, fish and meat dishes. Among the liquid seasonings borrowed by Russian culinary specialists from foreign cuisines, Hollandaise sauce based on fatty butter is very popular. Traditionally it is prepared with steamed asparagus, but this gravy is versatile and can be used as a main sauce in everyday and everyday meals.
Hollandaise sauce: recipe
Photo by Shutterstock
Hollandaise sauce recipe: culinary tricks
The main secret to making Hollandaise sauce is to use a water bath and whisk vigorously and for quite a long time. The basis of the gravy is butter of excellent quality, the fat content of which should be no less than 82%. The ideal solution is to find fresh village butter. For a classic sauce recipe, prepare the following set of ingredients:
Butter (250 g); - large chicken eggs (3 pcs.); - freshly squeezed lemon juice (200 ml); - table salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste.
Chop the butter into small cubes with a knife, then place in a thick-walled (cast iron) saucepan and melt over low heat. Make a water bath: pour water into a suitable saucepan and bring to a boil. Place a heat-resistant bowl with handles on top so that the bottom just touches the liquid, but under no circumstances sinks into it. Adjust the heat so that the water boils gently - the heating of the contents of the cookware should be moderate.
Interestingly, hollandaise sauce is practically not consumed in the Netherlands. This is a classic seasoning of French cooks, who often associate the names of sauces with the names of various states, cities and towns.
Break the raw chicken yolks into a bowl and begin vigorously whisking them until a homogeneous substance is obtained. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste. Please note: if the mixture begins to turn white at the bottom of the bowl, remove it from the heat and continue whisking until it cools. Otherwise the yolks may curl.
Gradually, with constant stirring, add melted butter to the yolk mass. Place the bowl back in the water bath and prepare the sauce, whisking vigorously for 10-15 minutes. Before finishing cooking, pour in freshly squeezed lemon juice in a thin stream, without stopping whisking the gravy for a second.
How to make hollandaise sauce faster
Enterprising housewives use various simplified variations of the classic French recipe. Using a microwave oven and a blender will help you prepare butter gravy in a hurry. For the quick sauce you will need:
Butter (70 g); - chicken yolks (3 pcs.); - freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 tablespoons); - table salt to taste; - mustard powder (1 teaspoon).
Melt the butter in the microwave, mix raw chicken yolks and freshly squeezed lemon juice in a blender. Pour oil into the blender bowl in small portions, add dry mustard and salt. As soon as the substance thickens, turn off the device and serve the gravy. Never make hollandaise sauce in advance, as this gravy must be consumed immediately after preparation. It cannot be kept warm or heated.
A fluffy hollandaise sauce is prepared with the addition of whipped egg whites and balsamic vinegar. The rest is done according to the classic recipe.
Hollandaise sauce, which by the way was invented in France, goes well with boiled and steamed vegetables, fish and eggs. It's easy to prepare. The process is somewhat similar to . But there are some subtleties and success is not always possible the first time.
Ingredients:
- chicken yolks - 2 pieces;
- butter - 100 g;
- lemon juice - 1 teaspoon;
- white wine vinegar - 1 teaspoon;
- salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Chicken yolks, previously separated from whites, salt and pepper. Then beat with a mixer (you can use a blender, food processor, whoever has what). Bring lemon juice and wine vinegar to a boil in a frying pan, add to the beaten yolks and beat again. In the same frying pan, melt the butter cut into pieces over low heat. As soon as the oil begins to boil, slowly and in a thin stream pour it into the yolks and at the same time beat with a mixer.
To thicken the hollandaise sauce, place the container with it on and continue to work with the mixer until we get a thick, homogeneous and silky mass.
It is important here to ensure that the sauce does not begin to separate. The decomposition process begins at 63 degrees Celsius. The first time I made hollandaise sauce, I made this exact mistake. To correct the situation, you need to beat another yolk in a clean container and, continuing to beat, gradually add the failed curdled sauce.
Hollandaise sauce is incredibly popular and common. And although it looks a lot like the famous mayonnaise sauce and is to some extent similar in composition, the taste of these two sauces is very different.
Despite the name, it is not of Dutch origin at all. This sauce was invented by the French, where they call it in their own way - “Hollandaise”. This sauce is very tasty, nutritious, has a rich creamy taste, lightly flavored with spices and lemon juice.
It is based on raw egg yolks, which are specially brewed in a water bath, brought to a certain degree of readiness, after which a large amount of butter is added and mixed until smooth. And precisely because this sauce is so fatty and nutritious, it perfectly complements those dishes where fat content or juiciness is just not enough.
Hollandaise sauce is great for baking vegetables (for example, cauliflower), adding it to boiled potatoes instead of butter, using it as a dressing for pasta and pasta, and it goes absolutely delicious with fish. In addition, you will also need it for making incredibly tasty homemade burgers or sandwiches, and be sure to try serving it with dumplings and dumplings. Believe me, it will turn out incredibly tasty!
Ingredients
- 2 raw yolks
- 2 tbsp. spoons of water
- 1-2 tbsp. spoons of lemon juice
- 70 grams butter
- salt, pepper to taste
Finished product yield: about 150 grams
How to make hollandaise sauce
Place the raw yolks into a small, deep, heat-resistant bowl (save the whites - you can use them to make delicious cream, meringue or sponge cake). Add water and lemon juice to the yolks.
Mix the yolks with water and juice with a whisk until smooth and place the container in a water bath.
Stirring continuously, bring the yolk mixture until thickened. As soon as you see that the mixture has already begun to thicken, remove it from the heat and continue stirring, because the brewing process will continue for some time. It’s okay if the mass turns out to be slightly lumpy – the lumps should disperse when stirred.
Now add butter to the yolks, piece by piece, and continue stirring the sauce until the butter is well combined with the yolk base.
You will get a thick emulsion with a pleasant creamy aroma.
At the end of cooking, add salt and pepper to the sauce to taste.
Serve the hollandaise sauce immediately or pour it over the vegetables before roasting.
Hollandaise can be stored for 4-5 days in the refrigerator, where it will thicken due to the large amount of butter. Before serving, you can warm it up slightly to soften the butter.
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Number of servings: 8-10
How to make Hollandaise sauce, step-by-step recipe with photos:
Step 1. First, let's take butter. The choice of butter for sauces and creams is clear - the composition should contain ONLY cream and its fat content should be from 82.5%. It is due to the high fat content that sauces and creams turn out tender and do not separate.
So, we used the same oil as for our hollandaise sauce.
Step 2. Melt the butter in a water bath or in the microwave, but do not bring it to a boil.
If the oil begins to boil in the microwave near the edges of the dish, turn off the heat, remove the dish from the oven and, stirring the oil with a spatula or spoon, dissolve it until smooth, since the center that has not had time to heat up will take heat from the edges of the dish.
Step 3. Pour the yolks into a separate container, put the whites in the refrigerator or prepare a sponge cake with them.
The yolks give hollandaise sauce not only its color, but also its velvety consistency. The egg whites will make the sauce thinner and coarser.
Step 4. Place the container with the yolks in a water bath and beat the eggs with a blender until the mass becomes lighter and gains volume.
As soon as the yolks have turned white, pour in the melted butter, one spoon at a time, without stopping beating the yolks.
After you pour all the oil into the eggs, the mass should increase in volume and thicken. Now add paprika, salt, pepper and whisk the hollandaise sauce for a few more minutes without removing the container from the water bath.
Step 5. You can store hollandaise sauce in the refrigerator for no more than 6 hours, in the freezer for 1-3 days.
Hollandaise sauce is often used when cooking white meat or fish, or as a dressing for eggs Benedict. To maximize the flavor of hollandaise sauce, use it warm.
Hollandaise is one of the five main sauces in French cuisine. It is well known as a key ingredient in eggs Benedict and is also often served with vegetables. Its international name sounds like “Hollandez”. Its name implies Dutch origins, but the actual history behind the name of this product is unknown.
Such a name is documented in English as early as 1573, although without a prescription. The first recorded classic recipe for hollandaise sauce is found in an English cookbook from 1651. It goes like this: “Make a sauce of good fresh butter with vinegar, salt, nutmeg and egg yolk.”
It was first mentioned in Dutch cuisine in 1667. Thus, the popular theory that its name comes from the country of invention is chronologically untenable.
In this article we will look at ways to prepare the named sauce.
How is it prepared?
As with other emulsion sauces (for example, mayonnaise), the egg in its composition is not heated, but serves as an emulsifier. This allows the immiscible oil and lemon juice to combine, which in turn produces a stable emulsion.
Classic Hollandaise sauce ingredients include:
- egg yolks;
- acidifying agent (wine vinegar or lemon juice);
- butter.
Also use salt and any type of pepper to taste. Often a little cream or water is added for a better combination of ingredients.
To make hollandaise sauce, combine beaten egg yolks with oil, lemon juice, salt and water. Heat gently while mixing. Some cooks use a double bottom pan to control the temperature.
Different recipes have different requirements. Some involve adding melted butter to heated yolks. Others require unmelted butter and yolks to heat together. Still others combine warm butter and eggs in a blender or food processor. Temperature control is critical as excessive heat can ruin the sauce.
The special thing about this product is that it can be easily frozen.
Is it possible to make sauce at home?
The recipe for classic hollandaise sauce cannot be called complicated. Therefore, you can prepare it at home without any problems. It will require:
- 3 egg yolks;
- 1 tbsp. l. cream;
- 1 cup melted butter, cooled to room temperature;
- 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice or white wine vinegar;
- 1/2 tsp. salt;
- a little cayenne pepper.
How to cook
For cooking, use a small, thick ceramic bowl set in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. A special container for a water bath is also suitable:
- Place the egg yolks and cream in a bowl or the top of a double saucepan. Mix with a wire whisk until combined. The mixture should never be beaten, but it must be stirred: evenly, vigorously and continuously.
- Place the container in hot water. If you are using a bowl, there should be about 4cm of water in a regular saucepan. In double - it should not touch the top.
- Stir the sauce continuously and slowly, bring the water to a boil.
- Do not let the egg mixture boil. Stir very thoroughly so that there is no film at the bottom.
- Once the mixture has thickened to the consistency of cream, begin adding the cooled, melted butter with one hand while vigorously stirring the sauce with the other.
- Do this slowly so that each addition of butter is completely incorporated into the egg mixture.
- Then add lemon juice or vinegar a drop at a time and immediately remove the container from the heat.
- Add salt and a little cayenne pepper.
If you are careful, the hollandaise sauce should not curdle. If this does happen, don't despair. Add more oil. Transfer the sauce to another container and clean the bowl. Place a fresh egg yolk in it and start cooking again, using the curdled sauce instead of butter.
Cooking options and derivative sauces
As you can see, the classic recipe for Hollandaise sauce involves using yolks, butter and lemon juice (or vinegar) as a base. Over time, many different versions of this product and its derivatives have appeared. The most famous of them:
- Béarnsky. It is the most common derivative and is known as Béarnaise. Prepared by adding an acidifying agent (usually wine or balsamic vinegar) with shallots, fresh chervil, tarragon and (optional) crushed pepper. In some cases, no vinegar is added at all. Béarnaise sauce and its derivatives are often used on steaks or other hearty grilled meats, as well as fish.
- Shoron. This is a type of béarnaise sauce. It is prepared without tarragon or chervil, plus it contains tomato puree.
- Foyot (Valois). It is also a type of béarnaise sauce containing meat broth.
- Colbert. This is a foyot sauce with the addition of white wine.
- Paloise. Béarnaise sauce with mint instead of tarragon.
- Vin Blian. Hollandaise sauce with white wine and fish stock.
- Bavaruz. A type of hollandaise sauce with cream, horseradish and thyme.
- Moutard or Girondine. It is Hollandaise with Dijon mustard.
- Maltase. Hollandaise sauce with orange zest and juice.
- Muslin, also known as Chantilly. It is Hollandaise with whipped cream. It also has several variations. One of them involves the addition of sherry, the other - whipped egg whites instead of cream.
- Nouzette. Hollandaise sauce made with melted butter.
A modern take on eggs Benedict
The classic recipe for Hollandaise sauce comes in different variations. To prepare eggs Benedict, a slightly simplified version is often used. What kind of dish is this? This is a classic French breakfast consisting of two halves of an English muffin topped with a poached egg, bacon or ham, and hollandaise sauce. Despite its French origins, this dish was first popularized in New York. There are many variations on the basic recipe.
The key to making the perfect Eggs Benedict is fresh eggs and good lemon juice. In fact, this is a very simple recipe that requires just a little skill and experience. It may take several tries to get a tender and tasty dish.
How to cook Eggs Benedict
Because making butter and egg sauce requires precise temperature and timing, make sure all of your ingredients are measured and ready the day before. All you need is:
- four eggs plus the same number of yolks separately;
- two English muffins, halved (or four slices of toast);
- two tablespoons each of fresh lemon juice and water;
- 100 grams of cold salted butter, cut into 1 cm cubes;
- salt and white pepper - to taste;
- fresh grated nutmeg - optional.
How to cook a poached egg at home?
Pour water into a saucepan and bring it to a low boil. Add salt and turn the heat to low. Fill a medium-sized container with cold water and place it next to the stove. Carefully crack one egg into a small bowl, being careful not to break the yolk.
Then stir the water in the pan so that you get a funnel in the center. Pour the egg into it and carefully run a spoon along the bottom so that it does not stick. Because you want the yolk to remain runny, you'll need to watch the cooking time carefully. It should take no more than 3-4 minutes. After this, carefully move the egg into a container of cold water to stop it from heating. Repeat with the remaining three eggs.
Preparing the sauce
Next, you need to make the hollandaise sauce. To do this, whisk the egg yolks, fresh lemon juice and water in a heatproof glass or ceramic bowl set over a small saucepan of simmering water. Slowly add the butter, a few cubes at a time, until it is combined with the yolks, stirring constantly.
Continue cooking for another minute or two until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and white pepper. Remove from heat immediately. Classic hollandaise sauce with lemon juice is ready.
Finishing cooking
Heat English muffins or toast. Using a large spoon, place an egg on each bun half or piece of toast, drizzle generously with hollandaise sauce and sprinkle fresh nutmeg on top (optional).
You can also add a slice or two of bacon or ham, but the classic version calls for fresh eggs and a mild sauce. American and Canadian versions of the dish suggest adding smoked salmon or seafood.
