How to make the perfect Hollandaise sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 blade (whole) mace
- 2 egg yolks
- 110g diced unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Good squeeze of lemon juice, to taste
Method
- 1. Put the vinegar, peppercorns, bay leaf and mace into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over a low heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Strain the reduced mixture into a heatproof glass bowl.
- 2. Add the egg yolks to the strained reduction with 1 small cube of the butter and a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set over a pan of gently simmering water and whisk until slightly thickened. Remove the bowl from the heat if you have to leave it for any reason.
- 3. Return the bowl to the pan of simmering water and whisk in the remaining butter, a few cubes at a time, until it’s all incorporated and you have a good thick sauce. If you think it’s too hot, take the pan and bowl off the heat and continue. Whisk in a good squeeze of lemon juice.