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Hollandaise Sauce




Source of Recipe


From Appetite by Nigel Slater


Recipe Introduction


This sauce, which is season-appropriate now as spring asparagus is crying out for it, is truly glorious even if it does seem like the scariest one to make. The real key is to heat it gently while constantly whisking and not letting it get too hot. This might sound like a contradiction, but you'll see, it's not. You will need a round-bottomed, heatproof bowl (I use stainless steel) and a saucepan for it to sit snugly on, as well as a plump balloon whisk. Approach this task with infinite patience and an absence of trepidation. Remember, this is supposed to be fun. And it is true that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. You will be well rewarded once you have mastered this sauce.



List of Ingredients





3 extra-large eggs (I don't really have to tell you free-range, do I?)
1 cup butter (This really IS 2 sticks. Don't get crazy, and don't tell Dr. Mehmet Oz.)
Half a lemon (maybe a little less if it's really juicy)
Salt and pepper



Recipe



Crack the eggs, dropping the yolks into a heatproof bowl. (Put the egg whites in the fridge if you have another recipe you can use them for.) Half fill a saucepan with water, and put it over a moderate heat. Sit the egg bowl snugly on top - it shouldn't touch the water - then add a small splash of water to the eggs, and stir gently for a few seconds. Cut the butter into twelve cubes, and add four of them to the egg yolks. Whisk firmly but slowly until the egg yolks have taken up the butter, then slowly whisk in the rest. You will need slightly less than the two whole sticks.

Squeeze in the lemon juice, still whisking. The color should be almost that of custard. (We don't really eat too much custard in this country, but you probably get the point.) Grind in a little salt and white pepper. Use black if you don't have white. Remove from the heat. The sauce will keep warm over the water for half an hour or so, but whisk it now and again. This is the point at which it may curdle. No one is immune. But as Nigel Slater says, "It is worth the sweat. We are talking heaven here."

If the sauce does break, try throwing an ice cube in and whisking like crazy. This will work nine out of ten times.