Sauce · French
Hollandaise sauce
Warm, buttery and lemony, with lightly cooked yolks whisked over hot water. For eggs, asparagus and salmon.
Hollandaise is a warm sauce of egg yolks, lemon juice and butter, whisked until thick and glossy. The yolks cook gently over hot water and the melted butter goes in a little at a time. It belongs with eggs Benedict, asparagus and salmon.
Ingredients
- 3 egg, large, yolks only; pasteurised eggs for anyone pregnant, elderly or very young
- 150 g butter, unsalted
- 1 lemon, juiced; 1 tablespoon goes in at the start, the rest is to taste
- 1 tbsp water
- salt, to taste
- cayenne pepper, a pinch, optional (optional)
Method
- Melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat until it is completely liquid, 2 to 3 minutes. Take it off the heat and keep it warm, not hot, so it blends smoothly into the yolks.
- While the butter melts, pour about 3cm of water into a saucepan and bring it to a bare simmer over a low heat, with only a few small bubbles rising, 3 to 4 minutes. Find a heatproof bowl that sits on top without touching the water. Separate the eggs, keeping the yolks.
- Put the yolks, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt in the bowl and whisk until frothy. Set the bowl over the pan and whisk constantly until pale, thick and leaving a trail when the whisk is lifted, 2 to 4 minutes. Lift the bowl off briefly if the edges start to set.
- Take the bowl off the pan. Whisk in the warm butter a few drops at a time at first, then in a thin, steady stream, until it is all in and the sauce is thick and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. If it gets too thick, whisk in a teaspoon of hot tap water.
- Taste and add salt, more lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne, if using. Keep the sauce warm, off the heat, in its bowl set over the pan of hot water, for up to 30 minutes.
- Goes best with eggs Benedict (poached eggs and ham on toasted muffins), steamed asparagus, poached or pan-fried salmon and steamed broccoli. A spoonful over a seared steak is good too. Serve it within 30 minutes of making it, and throw away any left over, as it does not keep.
Tips
- The yolks cook only gently in this sauce, so use pasteurised eggs for anyone pregnant, elderly, very young or unwell.
- If the sauce splits, whisk a fresh yolk in a clean bowl and slowly whisk the split sauce into it.
- Never let the water under the bowl boil; too much heat scrambles the yolks.
Common questions
Why did my hollandaise split?
The heat was too high or the butter went in too fast. Whisk a fresh yolk in a clean bowl and slowly whisk the split sauce into it to bring it back.
Is hollandaise safe to eat?
The yolks are only gently cooked, so use pasteurised eggs for anyone pregnant, elderly, very young or unwell, and serve it within 30 minutes.