In minutes, a rich and silky blender recipe that is foolproof...
French sauces and souffles have always intimidated us. We attribute this to the movie “Sabrina”. In this classic movie, Sabrina ( Audrey Hepburn) is sent by her father to Paris to learn to cook French cuisine. It is the ticket to her future. Despite her best efforts, sauces and soufflés are a mystery. She fails at properly cracking an egg. Her whisk is more like a sword. Her soufflés refuse to rise. If SHE couldn’t succeed what were our chances?
Then, Julia Child came along with her quirky and witty approach to French cooking. She cracked eggs with abandon, her whisk was a magic wand, her soufflés rose high above their porcelain rims. She gave us hope.
Hollandaise translates to “dutch sauce” but it actually originated in Normandy, France in the 17th century. Officially, it is recognized as one of the five mother sauces* of cooking. A “mother sauce” is the foundation for many other sauces. Hollandaise is the base for Sauce Bernaise, Sauce Dijon, Sauce au Vin Blanc and many more. The sauce is rich and airy ( thus the whisk) with a silky texture.
There had to be an easier way ( ok, a cheat ). Who wants a successful dinner menu hanging on a sauce your making five minutes before presentation! After a bit of research, we found the perfect, easy hollandaise made with a blender from Lacey Baier at her website asweetpeachef.com. The sauce is rich and airy ( no whisk ) and foolproof ( no double boiler) . As always, we tested the recipe on friends and family and it is a winner.
Blanket your Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise for Christmas Brunch. Celebrate New Years Eve with Salmon en Croute swimming on a pool of buttery richness. Make everyday asparagus extraordinary with a drizzle of this lovely sauce.
Happy Hollandaise,
Brenda and Tina
Easy Hollandaise Sauce
By Lacey Baier
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
optional: pinch of cayenne pepper for kick of heat
Instructions
Melt butter in microwave (for approximately 1 minute) or in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Combine egg yolks, lemon juice, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, if desired, in blender. Blend on high until mixture turns light yellow in color, approximately 30-60 seconds.
With the blender running on high, very slowly drizzle the hot, melted butter into the egg yolk mixture. The mixture will start to thicken and will splash up against the sides of the blender as the emulsion forms. Continue to add the butter until fully incorporated. Season with kosher salt as needed.
Keep sauce warm prior to serving as it may separate when it begins to cool. While it will mostly taste the same, it won't look as pretty. If needed, try placing the blender container in a bowl of very warm/hot water to keep the sauce warm.
*For more information on the 5 mother sauces see: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mother-sauces