A Faultless Béarnaise sauce
Ingredients
For 2 cups of sauce
- ½ cup of white wine
- ½ Maille Chardonnay vinegar
- ½ of shallots, finely diced
- 1 tbsp crushed peppercorns
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 2 cups of cold water (for a bain marie)
- 2½ cups of soft butter
- Fresh herbs (tarragon, parsley, chives, chervil), chopped
- Pinch of salt
Preparation
- Put the shallots and pepper corns in a pan.
- Add half the tarragon, then the Maille Chardonnay vinegar and white wine.
- Bring to a gentle heat and reduce until the mixture is has nearly evaporated.
- Meanwhile, add the water to another saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.
- Melt the butter in a bowl over the water and turn off the heat.
- Add two tablespoons of water to the tarragon and vinegar mixture.
- Add the egg yolks.
- On a gentle heat, whisk the mixture into the consistency of a sabayon (thick and mousse like), ensuring the heat is no higher than 60°C.
- Remove from the heat and add the melted butter one ladle at a time (ideally at a temperature of 40°C). Season the sauce.
- Pass the mixture through a muslin cloth into a bowl to keep the consistency smooth.
- Add the remaining fresh herbs, season with salt and mix thoroughly.
- Serve the béarnaise with your favorite cut of steak.