Bearnaise Sauce

Bearnaise Sauce

It is useful to have basic sauces up your sleeve to dress up any dish. Bearnaise Sauce is a rich yet tangy topping for steak, grilled chicken, vegetables or poached eggs. If you don’t have tarragon vinegar then use white wine vinegar and toss in an extra tablespoon of fresh tarragon.

INGREDIENTS

½ Cup Tarragon Vinegar

1/3 Cup Dry White Wine

2 Finely Chopped Shallots

3 Large Egg Yolks

¼ Cup Water

1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 Stick Cold Butter – Cut Into Pieces

1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Tarragon

¼ Teaspoon Salt

In a (nonreactive) saucepan, combine the vinegar, wine and shallots. Heat to boiling over a high heat. Boil for 7 minutes until the liquid has reduced to ¼ cup. With the back of a spoon, press the mixture through a fine sieve into a medium bowl or on the top of a double boiler. With a wire whisk, beat the egg yolks, water and pepper into the vinegar mixture. Set the bowl over the saucepan of the simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, for 10 minutes until the egg yolk mixture bubbles around the edges and has thickened. Reduce heat to a very low. With a wire whisk, whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, until each addition is incorporated and sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the tarragon and salt. Makes 1 cup