History of Hollandaise sauce
The first description of a Hollandaise sauce comes in La Varenne’s watershed cookbook of 1651, The French Cook. La Varenne recommends serving asparagus with a sauce made of “good fresh butter, a little vinegar, salt, and an egg yolk to bind the sauce.” The scant directions – “take care that it doesn’t curdle” – tell us the sauce was cooked and presumably whisked. La Varenne doesn’t give the creation a specific name, but simply titles his recipe “Asparagus in Fragrant Sauce.” Hollandaise was added to the list of legendary French chef Marie-Antoine Carême’s four distinctly French “mother sauces” as the fifth mother sauce by 20th century chef and culinary writer Georges Auguste Esoffier. It’s super silky and made of egg yolks that are emulsified with melted butter and lemon. Hollandaise is incredible on Egg Benedict. Also great with poached salmon, Broccoli, Bacon, Asparagus, Grilled Chicken and many other dishes.
Hollandaise Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
2 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt
Pinch cayenne
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Continuously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume.
Place the bowl over a large saucepan filled with two inches of simmering water, Continue to whisk rapidly until warm to the touch.
Slowly drizzle melted butter in a thin stream, whisking constantly until fully incorporated.
Continue whisking in the melted butter until the sauce is thick and doubled in volume.