Let me tell you about my obsession with hollandaise sauce. There's a reason it's the primary picture on our website. It was through this saucy delight that my love for recipes truly ignited. It wasn't just about cooking and baking, but reading and studying recipe after recipe. Comparing and contrasting.
The moment I tasted hollandaise, I was head over heels. I looked up a recipe and thought, "Eggs, butter, lemon juice, water, and cayenne pepper? How hard can this be?!" Little did I know, it became a wild, mad scientist experiment.
I went on a hollandaise sauce marathon. Seven days in a row, and some days, even twice in one day! Can you imagine? There were moments of frustration, I must admit. I even flung the pan across the kitchen when my sauce broke for the fifth time, creating a saucy chaos, and cuss words flying. But you know what? Despite it all, David, bless his soul, kept pushing me to persevere.
And then that glorious day arrived. The day I achieved hollandaise perfection. Now, if you ask me, I can whip up a proper and beautiful hollandaise sauce in mere minutes, following the classical method. But let me share a secret with you: going through the whole process of melting butter and whisking endlessly to achieve that emulsion? It's downright unnecessary. Here's an easier way to do it, a shortcut to hollandaise heaven! And the best part? It's not just for eggs benedict! Try it on roasted salmon or your favorite cut of steak for a fancy twist on your weeknight dinner.
Tip: Do not use a metal bowl. More likely to break.
EQUIPMENT
Large heat-resistant glass or ceramic bowl with a lid that fits it (for the most part)
Small or medium sauce pan
Whisk
Thermometer (optional, but helpful)
Kitchen Towel (will help with keeping the bowl from moving around while whisking)
INGREDIENTS
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into cubes
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup hot water
2-4 tbsp lemon juice (depending on your lemon preference)
Salt, to taste
Cayenne Pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk egg yolks in large heat-resistant glass or ceramic bowl.
In a small sauce pan, bring 1/2 inch water to simmer. Do not bring to a boil.
Add butter to egg yolks, and carefully, place bowl over simmering water. Be sure the water does not touch bottom of bowl.
Whisk constantly until mixture is smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute.
Slowly add hot water and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened. If using a thermometer, sauce should register 160 to 165 degrees. It may take up to 7 to 10 minutes.
Remove from sauce pan with bowl from the heat. Remove bowl from sauce pan and set on towel. Whisk in lemon juice, salt, and cayenne.
Cover to keep warm. If you need a few extra minutes, before you use the sauce, you can keep the sauce warm by placing the bowl, covered, back on the sauce pan with water. But do not return to the heat of the stovetop. If the sauce becomes too thick, you can add more hot water, a tablespoon at a time, and whisk.
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