Hollandaise "clarified"

Ah yes, the infamous Hollandaise sauce. This is the third of the mother sauces we are going to discuss.

Hollandaise is an emulsion. What that means is that it depends on shearing of molecules to separate them and then deposit water molecules in between. the shearing part comes from a wire whisk or a blender.

The wire whisk method is traditional and imparts a much better flavor and texture to the Hollandaise. A blender is the foolproof easy way out-but it isn't really a full flavored Hollandaise. I think of it as cheating. However many of you may think of it as the only way you would make this sauce.

It is not easy and will not always come out the first time. Also critical to the success of the sauce is the type of double boiler you are using. I learned this the hard way in my first Diva class on sauces when I tried to use a ceramic double broiler intended for chocolate. What you need is a stainless steel double boiler that gives ample room between the bottom of the double boiler pan and the boiling or simmering water. The ceramic one was way too deep and touched the simmering water-cooking the eggs almost instantly. In the picture above the pan is the correct set up.

Of course Chemistry again plays a big part in making a Hollandaise. Heat and eggs always yield a chemistry lesson :). First-only simmer the water. The boiling point on water is 214 degrees. Eggs turn solid at about 170. If you are whisking over boiling water your eggs will turn solid-no exceptions.

The trick to a Hollandaise is to get the eggs nice and thick without letting them solidify. So we raise the solidification point with the introduction of an acid. In this case, we use a little vinegar bringing the solidifying temp up about 20 degrees. This will allow you to whisk the eggs longer over the heat and get them much thicker (as well as acutally cook them so that from a health perspective you are not eating raw egg yolk-anything over 165 degrees is cooked).

Hollandaise in its basic form is eggs and butter. The butter should be clarified for the most consistent texture and the best flavor. Clarifying butter entails melting it, letting it rest about five minutes, then skimming off the part that looks like oil and leaving behind the white milk solids at the bottom. It doesn't have to be perfect-but you should get as little of the solids at the bottom as possible. Make sure your butter doesn't re-set on you (from the room being cold) and also that it isn't too hot (if you reheat it after clarifying). If it is too hot it will cook the eggs.

Crack your eggs and place the egg yolks in a double boiler over simmering (not boiling) water. Make sure to have your vinegar and clarified butter ready. Start whisking your eggs. add the vinegar reduction, keep whisking. The eggs will start to get thick. Once you get them to the desired thickness (as thick as you feel "safe" going-the longer you whisk the greater the chance of hard egg yolks). When you think the yolks are ready, remove the pan from the heat and start adding the clarified butter-first just a little then about three tablespoons at a time. Continue whisking. If you stop whisking you will have a mess. The whisking is creating the emulsion. You are literally shearing the molecules with the whisk.

Continue adding butter and whisking whisking till all the butter is gone. Add the lemon juice and peppers and salt. Test for thickness. If the sauce is too thick, add a little warm water.

That's it-it's ready to serve. It doesn't hold that well so make it last as you are ready to put dinner on the table.

From this you can make Common Secondary Sauces: Béarnaise, Maltaise, Mousseline, Foyot, Choron With this Hollandaise recipe though-you will have the basis for many other sauces. That is why it is called a mother sauce.

To make 2 cups of Hollandaise, you will need:
1 1/4 lbs of butter, clarified (you should end up with about 1 lb of clarified butter)
1/8 teaspoon Peppercorns, crushed
1/8 teaspoon Salt, (kosher preferred)
3 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoons cold water
6 Egg Yolks
1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice
Salt and Cayenne Pepper to taste

(you can half this recipe because usually 2 cups of sauce is way too much)

Hollandaise Procedure
Clarify your butter.
Place salt, vinegar and crushed peppercorns into a sauce pan and reduce by 2/3. Remove from heat and add water.
Transfer reduction to a stainless-steel mixing bowl.
Add egg yolks and beat over a simmering pot of water until the egg yolks become thick and creamy. (If unsure about the thickness, monitor with an instant read thermometer and make sure the eggs do not exceed 150 degrees F).
Once the egg yolks have reached the desired thickness, remove from heat. Using a ladle, slowly drizzle in the warm clarified butter, starting with just a few droplets first to get the emulsion going.
Continue streaming in the clarified butter until it is completely incorporated. If the hollandaise becomes too thick before all the butter is emulsified in, thin the hollandaise with a couple drops of warm water.
Finish by seasoning your hollandaise with salt, lemon juice and cayenne pepper to taste. Add just enough cayenne to help cut through the fat of the hollandaise and to add depth of flavor; your hollandaise should not be spicy.
Adjust finale consistency with a little bit of warm water to both lighten the sauce and give it better flow.
Keep warm over a double boiler (ban-marie) until ready to serve. The best holding temperature is about 145 degrees F. This temperature both discourages the growth of bacteria and is hot enough to keep the fat in your hollandaise from solidifying. For both food safety and quality control, hollandaise should not be held any longer than two hours.

Guidelines for Making Hollandaise
Eggs start to curdle at around 160-170 degrees F. The trick is to heat your egg yolks enough to get them thick, but stop right before they reach this temperature.
Acid (usually in the form of lemon juice and/or vinegar) will help to keep your egg yolks from coagulating. If the PH in you egg mixture is around 4.5, then the curdling temperature of the yolks is raised to about 195 degrees F. This is why most classical version of hollandaise call for the addition of a vinegar reduction to be cooked with the yolks.
When making hollandaise, some chefs use whole butter while others use clarified. Although it really comes down to personal preference, just remember that whole butter is about 15% water whereas clarified butter is straight butter fat. Because of its water content, more whole butter is needed to thicken a hollandaise then just straight clarified butter.
Make sure your acid reduction is cool before the egg yolks are added or they may curdle.
The fresher your egg yolks, the easier it is for you to make your emulsion.
Use a stainless steel, round bottom bowl. The round bottom will make it easier for you to beat the egg yolks evenly and the stainless steel will not react to the acid discolor your hollandaise.
When adding your butter to the egg yolks, make sure that it is warm (about 130 degrees F) but not hot. If your clarified butter is to hot it will instantly curdle your egg yolks.
Whenever making any type of emulsion, always add the fat or oil slowly at first, a couple drops at a time. Hollandaise is no different. If you add the butter too fast, then it will give the fat a chance to “coalesce,” which will cause your sauce to separate.
Another common reason why hollandaise will break is the addition of too much fat. The standard ratio is 6 egg yolks to 1lb of clarified butter.
If concerned about the consumption of raw egg yolks, heat yolks to at least 165 degrees F or use pasteurized egg yolks to make your hollandaise.