A classic warm, emulsified hollandaise made in a bain-marie with egg yolks, clarified butter, and lemon juice. Its texture should be coating, glossy, and foamy, with a clean acidity that balances the butter's richness.
Ingredients
- 250 g good-quality unsalted butter
- 4 pieces fresh eggs
- 1 piece fresh yellow lemon
- 30 ml cold water
- 2 g fine salt
- 1 pinch ground white pepper
Method
- Clarify the butter: melt it gently in a small saucepan over very low heat, without letting it brown. Once completely melted and white foam rises to the surface, remove the foam with a spoon. Slowly pour the pale yellow butter into a small container, leaving the milky sediment at the bottom of the saucepan. Keep the clarified butter warm and fluid, but not hot.
- Prepare the bain-marie: fill a saucepan with a shallow layer of water and bring it to a gentle simmer. The water should not boil hard; it should only produce steady steam. Set a large heatproof bowl over it, making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
- Separate the eggs and keep only the yolks. Put the yolks in the bain-marie bowl with the cold water and a small portion of the lemon juice. Whisk immediately to combine before the heat begins to act.
- Whip the sabayon: whisk constantly over the bain-marie, drawing large figure eights across the bottom of the bowl. The mixture should become pale, foamy, and slightly thickened. It is ready when the whisk leaves soft trails and the foam holds for a few seconds before closing. If the bowl becomes too hot to the touch or the edges begin to coagulate, briefly remove it from the bain-marie while continuing to whisk.
- Incorporate the clarified butter: off the heat or over very gentle heat, add the warm butter first drop by drop, then in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Wait for each addition to be absorbed before continuing. The sauce should thicken gradually, become glossy, and coat the whisk without breaking.
- Adjust the texture: if the sauce becomes too thick before all the butter has been added, loosen it with a few drops of warm water or lemon juice, then resume incorporating the butter. The right texture is that of a warm coating cream: it flows slowly in a ribbon and covers the back of a spoon.
- Season: gradually add the fine salt, white pepper, and remaining lemon juice. Taste after each addition: the sauce should be rich and buttery, slightly tangy, with no raw egg flavor or aggressive acidity.
- Keep warm: hold the sauce off the heat in a warm place, never over direct heat. Stir it from time to time. Serve it promptly, warm but not hot, before the emulsion weakens.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 529.4 kcal
- Protein
- 7.08 g
- Carbohydrate
- 3.22 g
- Fat
- 55.7 g
- Fibre
- 0.87 g
- Calcium
- 14.76 mg
- Iron
- 0.08 mg
- Magnesium
- 3.76 mg
