Creamy, lemony goodness can be yours when you make a classic hollandaise sauce. Just a few ingredients and a few minutes over a double boiler are all that’s required. Drizzle on eggs, vegetables, meat, chicken, or fish to brighten up brunch, lunch or dinner!
½cup(114grams)unsalted butter, melted, see Recipe Notes
2(28grams)egg yolks, at room temperature
1tablespoon(15grams)lemon juice, at room temperature
Pinch(Pinch)sea salt flakes
Pinch(Pinch)cayenne pepper, optional
Instructions
Make the clarified butter (optional): Gently heat the butter in a small saucepan (preferably with a lip for pouring) over medium heat. Allow the butter to foam (that’s the water boiling away). Skim off the foam occasionally. Keep an eye on the butter - you’re trying not to toast the milk solids at the bottom of the pan.
Once the foam is mostly gone, the ghee is ready. Keep warm over very low heat until you're ready to use it. When drizzling later, try not to pour out the milk solids.
Make the sauce: Place a medium saucepan on the stove with an about an inch of water. Heat the water until it’s simmering, then adjust the heat to low.
Choose a bowl that can fit inside the saucepan (without it touching the bottom) to use as a double boiler. Combine the egg yolks and lemon juice and whisk until the eggs are pale and frothy. Fit the bowl inside the saucepan.
With the heat on low, slowly drizzle the clarified butter into the bowl while constantly whisking the egg yolks until the mixture has thickened. Really, the stream should be very thin. The idea is to allow the butter and lemon juice to emulsify using the yolks. Go slow or your emulsion will separate.
Once all the butter is added and the hollandaise sauce has thickened, remove the bowl from the saucepan. Check that the mixture has reached 149 °F as measured with a digital thermometer and the egg yolks are fully cooked.
Finish the sauce by whisking in the salt and cayenne, if using. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.
Serve over eggs, roasted vegetables, meat, chicken, fish, or whatever else you think will be enhanced by creamy, lemony goodness.
To keep hollandaise warm: Keep the sauce warm (about 145 °F) in a double boiler, with the water just simmering as before. To avoid bacterial growth, don’t hold it at that temperature for more than 2 hours. Instead, chill the sauce in the refrigerator and re-warm when needed.
To re-warm hollandaise: Very, very gently warm the hollandaise in a double boiler, watching closely not to overheat (and break) the sauce. You can also use the microwave if you use low (20%) power for about 15 seconds, whisking between bursts.
To fix a broken sauce: If the sauce separates, fix it by whisking in a drop or two of hot water (but not more than 2 teaspoons). If that doesn’t work, put a single egg yolk in a bowl and slowly whisk in the broken sauce until everything smoothes out again. Check the seasonings before serving.
Storage instructions: Hollandaise sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days, though it will firm up as it cools. For longer storage, For longer storage, freeze 1 tablespoon portions of the sauce in an ice cube tray until firm, then transfer to an airtight plastic bag for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then re-warm as described below.
This recipe makes about ½ cup of hollandaise sauce, and can be doubled.
Notes
A classic hollandaise sauce recipe uses warmed melted butter in its preparation. If you want to take it an extra step, clarify the butter before proceeding. This increases the chances of your sauce not breaking because you're removing the extra water in the butter that can weaken the emulsion. You can purchase ready-made ghee if you want to skip clarifying the butter yourself.Hollandaise is pregnancy- and kid-friendly when the the egg yolks are fully cooked and reach 149˚F on a digital thermometer.