A classic warm butter emulsion with clarified butter, egg yolks, shallot, tarragon, and chervil, true to the French bistro tradition for serving with grilled meat.
Ingredients
- 250 g good-quality unsalted butter
- 4 pieces fresh egg yolks
- 2 pieces French shallots
- 6 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 6 tbsp dry white wine
- 0.5 bunches fresh tarragon
- 0.5 bunches fresh chervil
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- to taste fine salt
- 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
Method
- Clarify the butter: melt it very gently in a small saucepan without stirring, until it is completely liquid and a white foam floats on the surface. Keep the heat very low; the butter must not brown or smell nutty. Skim off the foam, then slowly pour the clear yellow butter into a bowl, leaving the milky solids at the bottom of the saucepan.
- Prepare the aromatics: finely mince the shallots. Strip the leaves from the tarragon and chervil. Keep the tarragon stems for the reduction and chop the leaves separately, since the fresh herbs should remain visible and fragrant in the finished sauce.
- Make the reduction: combine the shallots, white wine vinegar, dry white wine, tarragon stems, and lightly crushed black pepper in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the liquid is almost completely reduced and the shallots are glossy, tender, and intensely fragrant. A moist base should remain, not a dry saucepan.
- Strain or leave it as desired: for a rustic, traditional bistro béarnaise, keep some of the cooked shallots. For a smoother sauce, strain the reduction through a chinois, pressing well. In either case, let it cool briefly so the yolks do not coagulate.
- Make the sabayon: place the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl with the warm reduction. Set the bowl over a gentle double boiler without letting its bottom touch the water. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens, becomes foamy and pale, and leaves whisk marks that briefly hold on the surface.
- Emulsify with the clarified butter: take the bowl off the heat if it is very hot, then incorporate the warm clarified butter drop by drop at first and then in a thin stream, whisking constantly. The sauce should thicken gradually, become glossy, and coat the whisk like a warm cream. If it becomes too firm, loosen it with a small spoonful of warm water.
- Season: add the fine salt and ground cayenne pepper. Taste: the sauce should be rich but clean, with noticeable acidity to balance the butter. If it seems heavy, add a very small touch of the remaining reduction or warm water, never an excess of raw vinegar.
- Finish with the herbs: fold in the chopped tarragon and chervil at the last moment. Whisk just enough to distribute them. The béarnaise should remain hot, thick, supple, and dotted with fresh green herbs.
- Hold and serve: keep the sauce near a warm source, never over direct heat. Stir regularly. Serve immediately with grilled meat, a rib steak, a steak, or steamed potatoes. If the sauce starts to split, whisk a spoonful of warm water in a clean bowl, then gradually whisk the sauce back in.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 457.2 kcal
- Protein
- 7.12 g
- Carbohydrate
- 2.98 g
- Fat
- 46.6 g
- Fibre
- 0.63 g
- Calcium
- 20.06 mg
- Iron
- 0.32 mg
- Magnesium
- 5.99 mg
