Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise sauce is an emulsified, egg yolk-based sauce.

Ingredients

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp water
• 1 ½ sticks (170 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
• ⅛ tsp white pepper

Steps

1. Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stovetop in a small saucepan.
2. Pour a small amount of water into a medium-sized double boiler, making sure the water does not touch the bowl (put bowl off to the side). Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and reduce the heat.
3. Place egg yolks and the dry and liquid ingredients into the bowl and whisk for 1–2 minutes.
4. Gradually add the melted butter a little at a time, and whisk until the butter is well incorporated and mixture expands.
5. Place the mixture over the simmering water and whisk for 3–5 minutes, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
6. If the mixture become too thick or separates, add very small amounts of hot water until corrected.

More recipes with eggs, butter, lemon or cayenne pepper

Adapted from “Hollandaise Sauce” in the Wikibooks Cookbook by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Reformatted for this site; this page's recipe text is shared under the same license.