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Hollandaise sauce

Name: Hollandaise sauce
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: French recipes
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

Published: 31 Oct 04
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Our simple and easy-to-follow hollanaise recipe makes the perfect hollandaise sauce, every time. Serve the silky sauce over eggs for breakfast or with grilled fish for dinner.

To use up the leftover egg whites, why not make these super easy soft amaretti biscuits.

Easy
November 2004

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Ready in 30 minutes

Our simple and easy-to-follow hollanaise recipe makes the perfect hollandaise sauce, every time. Serve the silky sauce over eggs for breakfast or with grilled fish for dinner.

To use up the leftover egg whites, why not make these super easy soft amaretti biscuits.

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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

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Method

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.
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.
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.