Hollandaise, a versatile and flavorful sauce (2024)

FAQs

What is the flavor of hollandaise sauce? ›

What is Hollandaise Sauce? If you've never experienced the magic of hollandaise sauce, let me attempt to describe it to you. It's a very simple savory sauce made with butter, egg yolk, lemon, and salt. It has a smooth, velvety texture with just the right amount of bright lemon flavor to keep it from being too heavy.

hollandaise is an emulsified sauce in which egg yolks not only serve as the emulsifier, but also as a thickening agent. The final viscosity of your sauce will be determined by how much fat is emulsified in and to what degree the egg yolks are cooked.

If the heat is too high, the egg yolks will curdle and the sauce will become grainy. When a sauce splits, this means that the fat has separated from the egg foam (the sauce has lost its emulsion). The result will look thin, greasy, and lumpy.

When you do start a fresh sauce here are some pointers to prevent you sauce from breaking: Pour your butter in slowly. Too fast and it won't properly incorporate. Add 1 tsp Dijon mustard to your bowl or blender before you add in the eggs.

Hollandaise sauce is a rich and creamy sauce that has been a staple in French cuisine for centuries. Made from butter, egg yolks, and lemon juice, Hollandaise sauce has a tangy and buttery flavor that can elevate any dish.

Popular theory places its origin to a town in Normandy, France called "Isigny-Sur-Mer", known for its high-quality butter. According to history, France couldn't produce its own butter during the First World War and imported it from Holland – which led to it being known as Hollandaise.

hollandaise sauce, one of the classic sauces of French cooking, made of butter, egg yolks, lemon juice, and pepper and usually served on fish, eggs, or vegetables.

Béarnaise sauce

It's made of similar ingredients as hollandaise: egg yolks and butter, with some fun additions including shallots and fresh herbs like tarragon and chervil. And while hollandaise derives its acidity from lemon juice, béarnaise uses white wine vinegar.

Hollandaise Sauce sounds fancy but it is truly easy to make. It's often drizzled over a classic dish of Eggs Benedict with crispy bacon, toasted English muffins, and Poached Eggs. If you're a lover of French-style breakfast foods, also try your hand at making our Perfect Omelette, Quiche Lorraine, or Crepes.

Why Does Hollandaise Sauce Break? Over-heating or overcooking the egg yolks is one culprit. Next time, be sure to use a double boiler and heat the yolks gently to avoid overcooking them. The second cause is either adding too much butter or adding it too quickly.

What thickens hollandaise sauce? ›

How do you fix a runny hollandaise? Blenders tend to make runny hollandaise - it's usually because the butter was too cold and hasn't cooked the eggs enough to thicken them. To thicken a runny hollandaise, tip the mixture into a heatproof bowl set over simmering water and whisk over the heat until thickened.

It's important to only add a small amount of butter at a time, the final texture should be thick ribbons when you drizzle it from a spoon. 5. If you need to reheat the Hollandaise this can be done over a pan very gently simmering water with the sauce still in the bowl.

You can substitute vinegar for the lemon juice in Hollandaise if you wish, but in my opinion the flavor isn't as good. The most common mistake people make with Hollandaise is adding melted butter that is too hot, or adding too much too soon.

Hollandaise should be held between 120F to 145F (49 to 63C) so it does not split or curdle. If the sauce is heated above 150F, the eggs can overcook, become grainy and the sauce can potentially split.

There is nothing more frustrating than a split hollandaise, turning it from a gorgeous thick emulsion to something that looks like it was brought up by the cat. This generally happens because the melted butter is added too quickly so that the eggs, which act to emulsify the fat and liquid, cannot keep up.

Béarnaise Sauce and Mock Hollandaise Sauce are great substitutes.

It's what happens next that sets them apart: Hollandaise gets its acidity from lemon juice (sometimes vinegar) and is usually seasoned with salt, white pepper, and cayenne pepper. Béarnaise, meanwhile, builds upon hollandaise with white wine vinegar, shallots, tarragon, and other fresh herbs.

The English muffin provides a crispy, buttery base for the dish. By contrast, Canadian bacon or ham adds a salty, savory flavor. The poached egg adds a rich, creamy texture, and the hollandaise sauce provides a tangy, buttery flavor that ties everything together! Eggs Benedict is also an excellent source of protein.

Normally hollandaise is used as a savory sauce but you can make a sweet version that serves as an almost creme anglaise style sauce.