Classic Hollandaise Food

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Steps:

• Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for the eggs benedict. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.
• Brown the bacon in a medium skillet and toast the English muffins, cut sides up, on a baking sheet under the broiler. Fill a 10-inch nonstick skillet half full of water. Add white vinegar to the cooking water. This will make the egg white cook faster so it does not spread. Bring to a slow boil. Gently break 1 of the eggs into the water taking care not to break it. Repeat with remaining eggs. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook 3 1/2 minutes until the egg white is set and yolk remains soft. Remove with a slotted spoon, allowing the egg to drain. To assemble: Lay a slice of Canadian bacon on top of each muffin half, followed by a poached egg. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon hollandaise sauce over the eggs. Garnish with chopped parsley.
• Yield: 4 servings

BASIC HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Steps:

• Use a small, thick ceramic bowl set in a heavy-bottomed pan, or a heavyweight double boiler. Off the heat, put the egg yolks and cream in the bowl or upper section of the double boiler and stir with a wire whisk until well-blended - the mixture should never be beaten but stirred, evenly, vigorously and continually. Place the container over hot water (if you are setting the bowl in water, there should be about 1 1/2 inches of water in the pan; in a double boiler, the water should not touch the top section). Stirring eggs continuously, bring the water slowly to a simmer. Do not let it boil. Stir, incorporating the entire mixture so there is no film at the bottom. When the eggs have thickened to consistency of very heavy cream, begin to add the cooled melted butter with one hand, stirring vigorously with the other. Pour extremely slowly so that each addition is blended into the egg mixture before more is added. When all the butter has been added, add the lemon juice or vinegar a drop at a time and immediately remove from heat. Add salt and a mere dash of cayenne.

BASIC HOLLANDAISE

Steps:

• Boil the vinegar together with peppercorns and tarragon, reduce by half. Strain and reserve (see Secrets for success on storing, below).
• Boil a large pan of water, then reduce to a simmer. Using a large balloon whisk, beat together the yolks and 2 tsp of the reduced wine vinegar in a heatproof bowl that fits snugly over the pan.
• Beat vigorously until the mixture forms a foam, but make sure that it doesn't get too hot. To prevent the sauce from overheating, take it on and off the heat while you whisk, scraping around the sides with a plastic spatula. The aim is to achieve a golden, airy foam (called a sabayon), which forms ribbons when the whisk is lifted.
• Whisk in a small ladle of the warmed butter, a little at a time, then return the bowl over a gentle heat to cook a little more. Remove from the heat again and whisk in another ladle of butter. Repeat until all the butter is incorporated and you have a texture as thick as mayonnaise. Finally, whisk in lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste plus a little warm water from the pan if the mixture is too thick.

CLASSIC HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, cold water, salt and pepper. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into butter. Continue whisking over low heat for 8 minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Serve immediately.

CLASSIC HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Steps:

• Place egg yolks and water in the top of a double boiler and beat well with a wire whip or fork.
• Put all but 2 tbs of the butter in a small saucepan over moderately low heat (about 225F degrees) until just melted.
• Add 1 tbs of the cold butter to the egg and water mixture and place over hot, not boiling water.
• Whip constantly until egg yolks thicken slightly.
• Remove from heat and whip in the second tbs of cold butter.
• Gradually pour the melted butter into the egg mixture, beating constantly.
• Place over hot, not boiling, water (water below should not touch bottom of pan) cook until thickened, whipping constantly.
• Thickened Hollandaise should hold the imprint when a fork or whip is drawn across the surface.
• Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, salt, and cayenne.
• Sauce may be placed in top of double boiler over hot, not boiling, water, covered, and kept until serving time.
• Serve with vegetables, baked or broiled fish, and shell-fish.
• Note: if you use salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe.

CLASSIC HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the cut-up butter in a 1-cup glass measure with a pouring spout, and microwave until completely melted and clear but not bubbling (or heat in a warm oven, 190°F., about 30 minutes). Skim off any foam from the top, and cool until lukewarm but still liquid.
• Combine the vinegar, water, and seasonings in a 3-cup, heavy-bottomed, non-reactive saucepan, and simmer slowly over medium-low heat until the liquid reduces to 1 teaspoon. Mix in 1/2 tablespoon cool water, strain the liquid into a cup, and return it to the saucepan.
• Whisk in the yolk, then 1/4 of the clarified butter. Place over medium-low heat, and continue whisking across the bottom and around the sides of the pan until the yolk-and-butter mixture thickens to a sour cream consistency. If the yolk is overcooked, it will start to scramble; if undercooked (as in "blender Hollandaise" recipes), it will taste raw.
• Dunk the pan briefly in cold water; then slowly dribble in the rest of the butter off heat, whisking constantly, without including the milky liquid at the bottom. When all the butter is absorbed, the sauce should be the consistency of a medium-thick mayonnaise; whisk in the cream (or water) so it forms soft, slowly dissolving peaks.
• To keep the sauce from congealing, set it in a pan of hot tap water, but the sooner it is served, the better.
• If the sauce overheats or the butter is added too fast, the oily fat can separate out. If that happens, during or after cooking, it is easy to fix: Put a teaspoon of water in a small bowl, add a spoonful of the separating sauce, and whisk them together until creamy; then gradually add the rest of the sauce, spoonful by spoonful, until the whole thing is reconstituted.

CLASSIC HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Keep warm until ready to use.
• Place egg yolks in a copper or stainless-steel bowl that fits snugly in the top of a medium saucepan. Fill the saucepan with 2 inches of water, and bring to a boil. Whisk the yolks, off the heat, until they become pale. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and the salt, and whisk until well combined. Gradually add 1/4 cup boiling water, whisking constantly. Place bowl over medium saucepan containing boiling water, and reduce heat to lowest setting. Whisking constantly, cook until the whisk leaves a trail in the mixture and it begins to hold its shape. Remove from heat.
• Pour the warm melted butter into a glass measuring cup. Add to yolk mixture, one drop at a time, whisking constantly. After you have used about a tablespoon of the melted butter, you can start adding it slightly faster, still whisking constantly. If the butter is added too quickly, the emulsion will be too thin or will "break."
• Once all of the butter has been added, adjust the seasoning with the remaining tablespoon lemon juice and cayenne pepper. If the sauce is too thick, you may thin it with a little additional lemon juice or water. If not serving immediately, place over a pot of simmering water removed from heat, or in a warm spot on the stove up to 1 hour. Alternatively, store in a clean thermos that has been warmed with hot but not boiling water for up to 3 hours.