Hollandaise Sauce

I have died and gone to buttery heaven! Hollandaise sauce is becoming by far my favorite accompaniment sauce. It goes great with just about any meat, fish or poultry; and of course with the famous Eggs Benedict, (my absolute fabourite breakfast). And no wonder; it's practically pure butter. What do they say in the world of french cuisine? The three most important ingredients are butter, butter and more butter!

 I have made Hollandaise sauce a few times and this particular recipe that I fiddled with, using a few recipe ideas and put into one, turned out great.

3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp lemon zest
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 sticks of unsalted butter (melted - should be about 1 cup)
2 tbsp warm water
2 or 3 pinches of sugar
pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions:
- In a stainless steel bowl set over a pot of simmering water (this is called a 'bain marie' or you may have a double boiler) over low-medium heat, whisk together the egg yolks with the lemon juice, prepared mustard and zest. Do not let the egg scramble! This is why it is important to keep on a simmer

- Whisk the mixture until it is a pale yellow and slightly thick.

- Remove the bowl from the pot and whisk vigorously.

- Add the melted butter, in a slow steady pour, a bit at a time, while continuing to whisk, until all is incorporated.

- Add the water 1 tbsp at a time and whisk until encorporated and smooth. Depending on how thick you want your sauce you may only want 1 tbsp water, or you may even want as much as 3 tbsp of water. 

- Taste and if it is too lemony add a pinch or two of sugar. Whisk and taste again. Decide if you want to add one more pinch of sugar.

- Season with a dash of salt and pepper.

As mentioned before, this sauce is great with many things. i especially like this sauce with asparagus, salmon or even steak! 

Yum yum!!

Bon appetit