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Hollandaise Sauce—Please Learn to Prepare and Use this One.

Cooks' Note

Serve hollandaise warm from the pan, when it is always best. Hollandaise is particularly good over eggs (see page 65 and 67), asparagus, or broccoli.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

Preparation

  1. Put about 1 inch of water into the bottom of a double boiler and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, put the butter in a 1-quart saucepan and heat just at the bubbling stage for 1 minute over medium heat. Remove from the heat and skim, then return to the lowest possible heat to keep warm. Over medium-low heat, whisk together the eggs, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in the top of the double boiler until the sauce begins to thicken, about 3 minutes, taking care not to let the water bubble up enough to touch the bottom of the upper pan. Whisking constantly, drizzle in the butter, continuing to whisk to a smooth, creamy consistency.

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