Hollandaise is most often paired with vegetables, meat and fish, and egg dishes. A well-made Hollandaise is thick and airy with a rich buttery flavor and a hint of lemon or acid from the gastride. The first component of a Hollandaise is the egg yolks. Egg yolks provide the necessary protein and lecithin that helps to bind and thicken the sauce. It is important to use the freshest eggs possible because, as the eggs age, the lecithin within them breaks down weakening the yolks’ ability to thicken the sauce. The second component of Hollandaise is butter. Whole butter can be used but clarified butter, which is pure fat, produces a thick and stable sauce. The temperature of the butter needs to be between 130-140˚F. If the butter is too cold, it will create an overly-thick sauce with the consistency of mayonnaise. The third component is the acid. The acid can be vinegar, white wine, lemon juice or any combination of acids. The acid is used to flavor and balance the richness of the sauce. To make 1-1/2 cups of Hollandaise, you’ll need 2 egg yolks, approximately 1 cup of clarified butter and acid to taste.
The first step in making a Hollandaise is to make a sabayon. A sabayon is a frothy emulsion made by whipping air into egg yolks and a liquid over low heat. To make a sabayon, you will need stainless steel mixing bowl and a whisk set over over a water bath or bain marie. Arrange the water bath so that the bottom of the mixing bowl rests inside the bowl and above the simmering water and not in the water. Also, make certain the water stays at a gentle simmer, not a boil. To start the sabayon, place the yolks into the bowl. It is recommended to start with two or egg yolks as it can be more difficult to make a sabayon with just one egg yolk. Next, add the cold liquid. For each egg yolk use approximately 1 tablespoon of liquid. The liquid can be cold water or a gastride. By using water for the liquid, the sauce will be lighter and airier and the the acidity can be controlled better by adding (and tasting) it at the end. Begin by whisking the yolks and water briskly off the heat. The more air that is incorporated into the final sauce, the lighter and more airy the final sauce will be. Whisk vigorously so that the yolks and water triple in volume. This should take less than a minute. Once the sabayon has been whisked to the proper consistency, it is time to cook the sabayon. The water in the water bath should be at just a simmer. Too cool and the and the sabayon will be too thin, too hot and the eggs may scramble. Place the sabayon over the simmering water and begin whisking continuously. Try not to splash any liquid up the sides of the bowl where it may over cook. If at any point the sabayon is getting too hot or looks like part of it is overcooking, simply remove the bowl off the heat and continue. There are four indicators to look for to determine the sabayon has cooked long enough. First, the sabayon should again now double in volume and be thick and creamy. Second, you should be able to see track through the sabayon as you whisk. Third, you should be able to suspend the sabayon on the whisk. And lastly, the sabayon should be of ribbon-consistency, where when the whisk us pulled up out of the sauce, a ribbon of sauce should flow off or it and lay momentarily on the surface of the sabayon. If the sabayon is undercooked, the sauce will be thin, be overly egg-y is taste and will easily break. If the sabayon overcooks and the yolks look scrambled, you will need to start over. Do not attempt to add the butter to overcooked eggs as they have completely lost their ability to emulsify the sauce. Once the sabayon as reached proper consistency, reeve the bowl from the heat and whisk the sabayon for 20 seconds or so to dissipate any residual heat and keep the sabayon from overcooking.
The next step to make a Hollandaise is to add the warm butter to the sabayon. Approximately 1/2 cup of clarified butter per yolk is required. Make sure you have a little more butter on hand in case more is needed. Keep the butter warm in a water bath between 130˚F and 140˚F. To keep the sauce at the right temperature while you’re making it, place the bowl of sabayon over a water bath between 130˚F and 140˚F also. While constantly whisking, drizzle in the butter. It is not necessary to add the butter drop by drop as the emulsion is already formed and ready to accept the fat. The longer you take to add the butter, the more the sauce will be over worked. The sauce will cool and lose much of its air. Whisk constantly and vigorously. As soon as one addition of butter has been incorporated in the sauce, it is safe to add more. Don’t whisk too much (or at all) between the additions of butter as this will cool the sauce. The additions of butter will thicken the sauce. Because additional liquid will be add at the end to flavor the sauce, the sauce will necessarily need to be a little thicker at this stage. If traces of butter fat appear on the surface, this could indicate the sauce is getting too warm. Cool the sauce slightly by adding a bit of cool water. Continue to add the butter, approximately 1/2 cup per egg yolk to achieve proper consistence where the sauce is thick yet flows. Adding too much oil will break the sauce.
To finish the Hollandaise, whisk in fresh lemon juice . For a bolder flavor, whisk in a gastride in place of or in addition to the lemon juice. Because this a butter sauce, the Hollandaise should taste of butter with just a hint of acid to balance out the richness. If the flavor is correct but the sauce is too thick, add a bit of warm water to adjust the consistency. If too much acid has been added, work in a bit more butter to mellow the flavor. Once done, the sauce should be shiny and pale yellow. The final consistency should be thick and airy and the sauce should mostly flow while holding some shape. Finally, add a some fine salt to taste and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
When serving Hollandaise, it is best to use a spoon large enough to ladle over the sauce in one motion for a neater presentation. To hold a Hollandaise for service, keep the sauce covered in a warm place or over a bain marie set at between 130˚F and 140˚F. Do not hold the sauce for more that 1-1/2 hours and do not mix a fresh batch into a container with older Hollandaise. Hollandaise may be held well in a thermos also. When holding the sauce, check the temperature often. If it gets too hot, it will break. It will thicken as it sits and will be need to be whisked from time to time to keep it light and airy. If necessary, whisk in a touch of liquid to thin it down.
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