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Michel Roux's hollandaise sauce

Michel Roux's hollandaise sauce

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Here's how to make a creamy, classic hollandaise sauce that goes perfectly with fish like salmon or in eggs Benedict

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Total time: 25 mins
(plus cooling time)
Serves: 6
Skill level: Master chef
Costs: Cheap as chips

Ingredients

Hollandaise sauce can't be kept waiting, so serve it as soon as it is made, or keep it covered for a short time in a warm place if you must.
Michel Roux, celebrity chef

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1tbsp white wine vinegar
1tsp white peppercorns, crushed
4 egg yolks
250g butter, clarified (melted butter with the milk solids and water removed), cooled to tepid
Salt to taste
Juice of ½ lemon

Method

In a thick-bottomed stainless steel or copper saucepan, mix the wine vinegar with 4tbsp of cold water and the crushed peppercorns. Let it bubble to reduce by one-third, then leave to cool completely. Add the egg yolks to the cold reduction and mix with a whisk.
Put the saucepan on a heat diffuser over a very low heat and continue whisking, making sure that the whisk comes into contact with the bottom of the pan.
Gradually increase the heat so that the sauce emulsifies progressively, becoming very smooth and creamy after 8-10 mins. Do not allow the temperature of the sauce to rise above 65°C.
Off the heat and still whisking, pour in the tepid clarified butter in a steady stream. Season the sauce with salt. At the last moment, stir in the lemon juice. Pass the sauce through a muslin-lined chinois to eliminate the crushed peppercorns if required, then serve immediately.

This recipe is taken from Michel Roux Sauces, Quadrille Publishing Ltd, RRP £14.99, available from Amazon

By Michel Roux

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