Easy Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise sauce is one of the most popular sauces and is used as an indispensable ingredient of some unique food recipes like the eggs Benedict recipe. It is made of egg yolks, butter, lemon juice and seasonings like cayenne pepper. This sauce is light yellow in color and is smooth and creamy in texture. Its buttery taste enhances the taste of mildly flavored dishes like steamed vegetables and fish. It is one of the classic French sauces, which is believed to have originated during 1651. It is said that this sauce was prepared for the King of Netherlands, who visited France during that year. This sauce is said to be another version of a Dutch sauce and hence the name, hollandaise sauce.

Easy Hollandaise Sauce Recipes

Even though, hollandaise sauce is very popular, it has to be prepared with extra caution to get the desired consistency. As it cannot be stored for long, you have to prepare this sauce, every time you prepare some food recipes like eggs Benedict or steamed vegetables.

Traditional Method

Most people find it difficult to follow the traditional method of cooking hollandaise sauce, as it has to be done very carefully. Even the slightest change in temperature while cooking can alter the desired consistency and flavor. However, the following hollandaise sauce recipe is the most authentic and traditional one.

In order to prepare one cup of hollandaise sauce, you need four egg yolks, half cup unsalted butter, one tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, one pinch each of cayenne pepper and salt. Start the process by whisking the egg yolks with lemon juice in a stainless steel bowl. Once the mixture thickens, keep the bowl in a pan of simmering water. The bottom of the bowl must not touch the water surface. You may also use a double steamer for this purpose. The temperature must not be so high that the egg gets scrambled. Whisk the mixture for a few more minutes and slowly add the melted butter to the bowl. Stir the mixture continuously, till it gets smooth and thicker and the volume doubles. Now, remove from heat and add cayenne pepper and salt. Mix well and keep aside for use. If you find the sauce thicker at the time of serving, you can whisk it in some warm water so that it gets the desired consistency.

Easy Hollandaise Sauce in Microwave

You can also prepare hollandaise sauce in a microwave. Hollandaise sauce ingredients are the same as that of the earlier method. In this recipe, you have to take two egg yolks, 90-100 grams unsalted butter, one tablespoon water and one tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed). The first step is to melt the butter in the microwave. The microwave must be on high and it takes around sixty seconds for the butter to melt. Once the butter melts, add egg yolks, lemon juice and water. Now, whisk the mixture well and then microwave (on high) for around 20 seconds. Remove the microwave and whisk once again. Now, you have to reset the microwave to defrost mode and cook for another fifty seconds. You have to whisk the mixture at regular intervals, i.e. once every 15 seconds, remove the bowl from the microwave and whisk the contents well. Repeat the process until the mixture gets the desired consistency.

Hollandaise Sauce in Blender

Even though the basic recipe is the same, the methods for the preparation of hollandaise sauce is different, as a blender is used to whisk the ingredients. In this recipe, you have to take two egg yolks, half cup melted butter, one and half tablespoon lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Blend egg yolks, lemon juice and cayenne pepper powder in the blender, until it becomes light yellow in color. The next step is to run the blender on high and add melted butter slowly and simultaneously. Blend the mixture until it becomes thick. It will take around thirty seconds to thicken. Now, you can either go for a double steamer or microwave for cooking this sauce.

If you are using hollandaise sauce mix, then follow the instructions of the manufacturer. So, try this recipe and enjoy the rich, buttery taste of this sauce.