Easy Hollandaise Sauce For Special Family Breakfasts
On special occasions/holidays I like to create a huge breakfast "buffet" for my family and friends. I like to include great coffee/juices, fresh fruit, toasted artisan bread, thick sliced bacon, spicy sausage, scrambled eggs, some type of breakfast potato along with a "traditional" eggs Benedict.
My hollandaise sauce has always been the store bought (Knorr) variety which pales in comparison to the real deal. I would enjoy some ideas that will create a real hollandaise.
As a bachelor (sometimes with assistance) my special breakfast has created a great holiday tradition. All the dishes go under water and I do them later. I use paper plates (confession). Bottom line: I can participate in a holiday and then relax and enjoy my friends, family and football.
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6 Comments:
I've tried the prepackaged ones and haven't found one yet that tastes quite right. I'll be trying this one from Chefwise next ... as soon as I find a couple more cooks to share that much Hollandaise with ... ;-) ... I do like the sound of some of the variations they list on that product page.
Here's how I make the real stuff from scratch ...
Start by letting the bowl of a food processor soak in warm water for at least 10 minutes to warm it. Clarify some unsalted butter by slowly melting it in a small pot over low heat, skimming the foam off the surface, and spooning the clear butter into a bowl, leaving any sediment in the pot. Let the clarified butter cool till it’s almost lukewarm. Cut a lemon in half, strain the juice from one of the halves, and set this juice aside. Dry the warmed food processor bowl and install it on the processor.
Add the yolks of 3 large eggs and 3 tablespoons hot water to the warmed bowl of the food processor. Set the machine on low speed, letting it run till the yolks and water are smooth. In a thin and continuous stream, while the machine is still running, add 3/4 cup of the lukewarm clarified unsalted butter. Add the strained lemon juice and let it incorporate into the sauce. Stop the machine, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve it warm immediately, or store in the refrigerator for later use, carefully warming the sauce on the stove when needed.
LunaPierCook at 6:26AM on 11/01/07
Years ago before using the whisk/bowl/simmering water technique, I used to make an acceptable hollandaise in the,blender. 3 Egg Yolks, 1/2 cup of melted butter (still very hot), Squeeze of Lemon Juice, S&P.
Place 3 yolks in blender pitcher with the lemon juice. Melt the butter and while it's hot, turn on blender and pour the butter into the running blender in a very thin stream. Season with S&P. If your blender has a "whip" setting, this works nicely by also aerating the hollandaise.
chiff0nade at 8:51AM on 11/01/07
I have never bothered to pre-heat my blender or food processor, and only once have I had problems. The sauce didn't thicken. I heated it in the microwave in short bursts, whisking inbetween each burst. Fixed.
lemons at 10:15AM on 11/01/07
I use neither blender nor food processor--just a double boiler over simmering water (the old fashioned way). It's pretty foolproof. Just add the egg yolks and lemon juice to top of double boiler/bowl, and whisk in butter piece by piece (no need to clarify it) as each is absorbed by yolks. Keep whisking & don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the *simmering* water, and take the pot off the stove if it starts to help regulate temp. Easy. I promise.
Lilla at 11:36AM on 11/01/07
I've never used a blender, but then again, I've never made it in huge quantities either. Blender/food processor-ing aside, LunaPierCook's and the recipe I use are nearly identical. I'm like Lilla in that I use a double boiler and a whisk, but I do clarify my butter.
If you've never made it before, maybe keep around enough ingredients for an extra batch or two in case your sauce breaks (trust me, it'll happen eventually). If you catch it before it actually breaks you can sometimes rescue it by whisking in a spoonful of cold water.
This would also be a great topic to stick any tips for on not breaking your sauce or repairing a nearly broken one.
corycm at 11:51AM on 11/01/07
I've tried much more "authentic" recipes and never had as much success as this old Betty Crocker one for Hollandaise. Use a small saucier and a small wooden spoon. This recipe is enough for three Eggs Benedict (two for hubby one for moi). In saucier blend 1 egg yolk and 1 T lemon juice well with the spoon and place over very low heat (no double boiler required). Immediately start adding small pieces of cold unsalted butter (4 T in all) stirring constantly. When 1 T is blended in, add another T in small pieces, then more until all is incorporated. Stir until desired consistancy and add salt to taste. Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. We like a bit of freshly minced french tarragon in the sauce for benedict. The recipe can easily be doubled. For sauce maltaise just substitute blood orange juice for the lemon and eliminate the tarragon. For an easy bearnaise you can reduce a T or so of finely minced shallot in 1/4 c white wine or champagne vinegar and substitute for the lemon juice.Season with s and p and tarragon also. Easiest way to keep sauce from breaking - just get an inexpensive thermos ( I think I paid $1 for one at Big Lots) and it will keep perfectly until you are ready to use it with none of that last minute stress. It also gives you a few more minutes of breathing room to finish another dish or two. Good luck!
frederika at 11:35PM on 11/04/07