Béarnaise Sauce

Pour it on everything: steak, poached eggs, vegetables

2 Sticks Unsalted Butter

6 Large Eggs

2 Lemons

1 Tbsp. Tarragon Vinegar (White Wine Vinegar is an acceptable substitution)

1 Tbsp. Pastis (Pernod or Herbsaint work just fine)

2 Tbsp. Tarragon, finely minced

Salt, to taste

Ice Cubes

sides & sauces

French

Instructions

  1. Gently melt the butter in a double boiler. I have found that a large bowl that rests on top of a sauce pan of boiling water is easier to use than pre-made double boilers, only because the lip of a reasonably large bowl is easier to grasp during the many times you will have to remove the sauce from the heat. A stainless steel bowl works best in this situation because it does not retain as much heat as a glass bowl. Once the butter is melted, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool to above room temperature, still warm to the touch, somewhere around hot bath water. If you separated your egg yolks before beginning to cook, then they should be near room temperature by now. Do not try to use refrigerator cold egg yolks, just don’t do it. The melted butter can wait while the eggs warm up if necessary.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks into the melted butter off of the heat, then add the lemon juice, a little salt, the minced tarragon, and the tarragon vinegar. The sauce should have your complete attention at this point because you are about to enter the danger zone!
  3. Return the bowl to the top of the pan of gently boiling water and whisk. The sauce will come together pretty quickly; it does not take long for the heat from the boiling water to cause the egg yolks to thicken the sauce. If the sauce begins to break then remove it from the heat and whisk to incorporate the separating portions of the sauce. If things get really desperate, then throw in an ice cube or two to lower the temperature. It should not take more than about 5 minutes to achieve “nappe” or the thickness where a liquid will coat the back of a spoon.  When the sauce is ready, it will be very thick, holding any impressions left by the whisk for a few seconds or more.
  4. Now, whisk in the pastis and allow to cook for another minute or so, whisking all the while. The sauce can be set aside or even refrigerated, as it is very stable in its emulsified state. When you are ready to serve, just return it to the heat and whisk it back to life. You can even bring the sauce up to temperature in the microwave if you place it in a glass bowl and heat it in short 10-second bursts, stirring between each application of heat. Béarnaise is very versatile, nobly topping a steak, poached eggs, fish or vegetables. That wasn’t so bad, was it?