Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise Sauce is one of the classic sauces, and a mainstay in French cuisine. It’s a staple on eggs benedict, and goes great with a variety of veggies and seafood.

But… it’s kind of intimidating, isn’t it? Not anymore! The traditional method requires careful attention, constant stirring. Then, there’s the new blender method, which anyone can master in no time.

In this post, we’re going to teach you both. So, if you’re feeling like a fancy French chef, go for it! But if you just want an amazingly flavorful sauce without the stress, we’ve got you covered as well!

Hollandaise sauce, or “Dutch sauce”, has been a part of French cuisine for centuries. The first recipe was documented in 1651.

In the traditional preparation, beaten egg yolks are combined with butter, lemon juice, salt, and water, and are very gradually heated, to prevent the eggs from curdling.

Hollandaise is considered one of the five mother sauces of French cuisine, meaning all other sauces (daughter sauces) are derivatives of the original five. Along with hollandaise, the others are:

1. Béchamel sauce: White sauce, based on milk thickened with a white roux.
2. Espagnole sauce: Brown sauce based on a brown stock reduction, and thickened with brown roux.
3. Tomato sauce: As well as tomatoes, ingredients typically include carrots, onion, garlic, butter, and flour, plus pork belly and veal broth.
4. Velouté sauce: Clear sauce, made by reducing clear stock and thickened with a white roux.

Ingredients for Hollandaise Sauce

• Egg Yolks
• Water
• Lemon Juice
• Cayenne Pepper
• Salt
• Butter

How to Make Hollandaise Sauce

Traditional Method

Combine all ingredients except butter in a small pan and whisk together.

Cut room temperature butter into small pieces and add in with other ingredients.

Warm over medium-low heat, continuously whisk the mixture. After the butter melts, the mixture will get a little frothy.

Gradually, the sauce will thicken as the yolk cooks. Whisk continuously to avoid clumping. Once the sauce has thickened to a gravy-like consistency, immediately remove from heat. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Easy Blender Method

Heat the butter in the microwave or on stovetop. It needs to be hot, not just melted.

Add the egg yolks, water, lemon juice, salt and cayenne pepper into a blender. Blend for a few seconds until combined.

With the blender running on medium high, and the plug removed from the lid, slowly drizzle hot butter into the mixture.

Is the Traditional Method Better Than the Blender Method?

We’ve tried both and have found no difference. Surely a classically trained French chef will deride the blender method, but try them both for yourself and let me know your verdict.

How to Use Hollandaise Sauce

It’s a requirement for eggs benedict. Head ups… our next post is an amazing benedict variation from New Orleans, Eggs Cochon!

Hollandaise sauce is a beautiful topping for steamed veggies. In particular, think asparagus, artichokes or green beans.

Try it with seafood, especially white fish, crab or lobster.

Use it as a steak sauce. One of the “daughter sauces” of hollandaise is Béarnaise, which is the traditional French steak sauce.

How to Warm Leftover Hollandaise Sauce

You can refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days, but care must be taken while reheating, to avoid the eggs curdling.

We’ve found the best method to reheat hollandaise sauce is to submerge the container in hot tap water. Leave for 10 minutes, then stir the sauce well.

Replace the water and continue the process until the sauce has reached your desired temperature and consistency.

Give this French mother sauce a try in your own kitchen. Skip the bottled stuff.

If you’re intimidated by the traditional method, go with the blender method. (Psst, I bet even fancy French chefs couldn’t tell the difference in a blindfolded taste test!)

However you make it, you’re going to feel mighty gourmet when you serve this up on your table. Just make sure you can pronounce it! 😉

Hollandaise Sauce, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

Try these other great homemade sauces!
Cilantro Mint Chutney
Marinara Sauce
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Remoulade
Chipotle Mayo
Salsa Verde

Hollandaise Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

Hollandaise Sauce is one of the five French mother sauces. We're giving you the traditional method, as well as the easy blender method.

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Ingredients

• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 stick butter, softened

Instructions

Stovetop Method

1. Combine all ingredients, except butter, in a small pan and whisk together.
2. Cut room temperature butter into small pieces and add in with other ingredients.
3. Warm over medium-low heat, continuously whisk the mixture. After the butter melts, the mixture will get a little frothy.
4. Gradually, the sauce will thicken as the yolk cooks. Whisk continuously to avoid clumping. Once the sauce has thickened to a gravy-like consistency, immediately remove from heat. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
   

Blender Method

1. Heat the butter in the microwave or on stovetop. It needs to be hot, not just melted.
2. Add the egg yolks, water, lemon juice, salt and cayenne pepper into a blender. Blend for a few seconds until combined.
3. With the blender running on medium high, and the plug removed from the lid, slowly drizzle hot butter into the mixture. Blend until emulsified.
   

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 239Total Fat 25gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 154mgSodium 364mgCarbohydrates 0gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 3g

Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.