Thursday, April 24, 2008

Gregg's Béarnaise Sauce

Gregg’s Béarnaise Sauce
Makes about ¾ of a Cup (serves about 8 to 12)


This is the recipe I use for Béarnaise Sauce; I have tweaked it a little and believe it has a great flavor. Use shallots, not onions. You can use white wine or white wine vinegar. The White Wine works best however. This is traditionally served over Filet. But, it can be served over Beef Tenderloin, London Broil or served practically over any other type of steak or beef. Béarnaise Sauce is basically a kicked up version of Hollandaise Sauce. Here is my spin on the recipe that I make often for my family. It is extremely easy to make and takes only minutes. This sauce is well worth making when serving beef.
Hope you enjoy.

1 Stick Butter (1/2 Cup)
3 Egg Yolks
Juice from 1/2 Fresh Lemon (Use Fresh ONLY)
¼ tsp Salt
Pinch Fresh Ground Pepper
Tiny pinch of Cayenne Pepper (optional for my recipe but traditional in most)

2 Tbls Spoons White Wine (If using White Wine Vinegar, Use 3 Tbls and omit the Vinegar)
1 Tbl Vinegar (Do Not Use if using White Wine Vinegar)
1 small spring of Fresh Tarragon, Chopped
1 Tbl Shallots (chopped)
Pinch Pepper
Pinch Salt


Heat Butter to a slight boil, but DO NOT brown.
In a blender add the 3 Egg Yolks, Juice from the ½ Lemon, Salt, Black Pepper and Cayenne Pepper and blend at high speed
While blending at high speed, SLOWLY add butter. At this point you now have a basic Hollandaise Sauce.
Now for Béarnaise Sauce:
Simmer the White Wine, Vinegar, Tarragon, Shallots, pinches of Pepper & Salt, until the liquid is reduced by 2/3rds.
Add to the Blender with the Hollandaise Sauce. Blend on high for about 4 – 5 seconds
Viola, you have a great Béarnaise Sauce. Just spoon dollops over meats and enjoy.

Hollandaise Sauce is one of the 5 Mother Sauces used in French and most other types of coooking. Here are the others which we will cover later:
Béchamel (White Sauce)
Espagnole (Brown Sauce)
Tomato (Not the traditional Italian version for pastas and pizza)
Velouté (Chicken Base Sauce used for Chicken and Fish)
From these 5 sauces, most all other sauces are made.

1 comment:

The Plewe Clan said...

you crack me up! I made jam today...