Hollandaise
The warm butter sauce, made calm and steady
- Makes
- about 300 ml (1¼ cups)
- Hands-on
- Total
- Level
- Some skill
Hollandaise is egg yolks and warm butter whisked into a light, tangy cream. It is the sauce for eggs Benedict, asparagus and poached fish, and once you understand heat control, it is reliable.
Ingredients
- 180 gunsalted butter (¾ cup / 1½ sticks)
- 3egg yolks
- 1 tbspwater
- 1 tbsplemon juiceplus more to taste
- 2 gfine sea salt (⅓ tsp)
- 1 pinchcayenne pepperoptional
- Diet
- Vegetarian, Gluten-free
- Allergens
- egg, milk
- Origin
- France
Method
- Melt the butter in a small pan and keep it warm, around 60°C (140°F): too hot to hold your finger in for long, but not sizzling.
- Bring 3 cm of water to a bare simmer in a saucepan. Choose a heatproof bowl that sits on top without touching the water.
- Whisk the yolks, water and lemon juice in the bowl off the heat until frothy.
- Set the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly, lifting it off now and then to control the heat, until the yolks are thick, pale and leave a trail that holds for a second, 2–4 minutes. They should reach about 65–70°C (150–158°F); if you see any scrambling at the edges, take the bowl off and whisk hard.
- Take the bowl off the heat. Whisk in the warm butter a spoonful at a time at first, then in a thin stream, leaving behind the milky solids at the bottom of the pan if you like a lighter sauce.
- Season with salt, cayenne and more lemon to taste. The sauce should flow off a spoon like heavy cream; thin with a teaspoon of warm water if needed.
- Keep warm for up to 1 hour in a bowl set over a pan of warm (not hot) water, or in a pre-warmed vacuum flask, whisking occasionally.
Why it works
Gently heating the yolks partly sets their proteins and whisks in air, creating a thick base that can hold a lot of butter. Lecithin in the yolks emulsifies the butterfat into tiny droplets, and the lemon's acid helps keep the proteins from clumping. Above about 80°C (175°F) the proteins tighten and squeeze out the butter, which is why the bowl lifts off the heat.
Common mistakes
- Overheating the yolks: they scramble. Keep lifting the bowl and whisk constantly.
- Adding butter too fast: the sauce splits. If it does, whisk 1 tbsp hot water in a clean bowl and slowly whisk the broken sauce into it.
- Letting it go cold: it sets and separates when reheated. Keep it just warm.
Variations
- Blender hollandaise
- Blend yolks, lemon, water and salt for 5 seconds, then pour in butter heated to 85°C (185°F) in a thin stream with the motor running.
- Mousseline
- Fold in 60 ml whipped cream just before serving for a lighter sauce, good with fish.
Make ahead and storage
Hold warm up to 1 hour. It cannot be made a day ahead.
Notes
The yolks are heated but may not reach a fully safe temperature; use pasteurized eggs for the vulnerable.
