30 Second Hollandaise Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the most common mistake in hollandaise sauce? ›

Hollandaise Sauce

One common hollandaise mistake is overcooking the egg yolks, and there's no coming back from that. But the most common problem is that the emulsion breaks, and you see streaks of liquid butter instead of a uniformly creamy sauce.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, cold water, salt and pepper. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into butter. Continue whisking over low heat for 8 minutes, or until sauce is thickened.

It's what happens next that sets them apart: Hollandaise gets its acidity from lemon juice (sometimes vinegar) and is usually seasoned with salt, white pepper, and cayenne pepper. Béarnaise, meanwhile, builds upon hollandaise with white wine vinegar, shallots, tarragon, and other fresh herbs.

Why Does Hollandaise Sauce Break? Over-heating or overcooking the egg yolks is one culprit. Next time, be sure to use a double boiler and heat the yolks gently to avoid overcooking them. The second cause is either adding too much butter or adding it too quickly.

A word about the food safety of hollandaise sauce.

There is always a risk of food-borne illnesses when using undercooked eggs. If you are concerned about salmonella, use pasteurized eggs or cook the eggs to at least 165F to kill any bacteria; however, this can potentially cause the eggs to scramble.

"But there are a lot of ways things can go wrong. If you don't whisk fast enough or pour in your butter too fast it'll turn greasy and broken. Don't cook the eggs enough and it won't thicken properly. If you cook the eggs too much and you'll end up with clumpy, greasy, scrambled eggs.

In addition to proteins that can act as emulsifying agents, egg yolk contains an abundance of lecithin, a fatlike molecule known as a phospholipid. For more information about emulsions, click here . On the labels of many foods, you will find the ingredients lecithin and soy lecithin.

How do you fix a runny hollandaise? Blenders tend to make runny hollandaise - it's usually because the butter was too cold and hasn't cooked the eggs enough to thicken them. To thicken a runny hollandaise, tip the mixture into a heatproof bowl set over simmering water and whisk over the heat until thickened.

But each one is typically used to flavor different dishes and ingredients. For example, hollandaise is often added to eggs Benedict and steamed asparagus, and it goes exceptionally well with poached fish. Béarnaise, on the other hand, is most often served with grilled meat such as steaks.

Should hollandaise taste of lemon? ›

It's a very simple savory sauce made with butter, egg yolk, lemon, and salt. It has a smooth, velvety texture with just the right amount of bright lemon flavor to keep it from being too heavy.

Whisk occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.

When making hollandaise, some chefs prefer to use clarified butter which is straight butter fat. In order to take advantage of the flavors in butter's milk solids and whey, some chefs prefer to use whole butter.

Make sure the butter is between 130-140 degrees Fahrenheit (55-60 degrees Celsius). While constantly whisking, add the butter to the sabayon in a steady stream. Add enough butter until you achieve a somewhat thick consistency. You will not need all of the butter, but it is better to have more on hand than too little.

Hollandaise can be very finicky and there are several reasons why this particular sauce can curdle or split. If the heat is too high, the egg yolks will curdle and the sauce will become grainy. When a sauce splits, this means that the fat has separated from the egg foam (the sauce has lost its emulsion).

Add 1 tsp Dijon mustard to your bowl or blender before you add in the eggs. The mustard with stabilize your sauce and will prevent it from separating. If you notice your hollandaise is too thick while whisking or blending, add 1 tbsp of hot water before you sauce has a chance to separate.

To prevent the eggs from scrambling heat the egg yolks in a stainless steel bowl placed over a pot of gently simmering water (aka double boiler). The gentle heat of the steam is much more forgiving than a direct flame.

How do you fix a runny hollandaise? Blenders tend to make runny hollandaise - it's usually because the butter was too cold and hasn't cooked the eggs enough to thicken them. To thicken a runny hollandaise, tip the mixture into a heatproof bowl set over simmering water and whisk over the heat until thickened.