Cooking Tips

Let’s start with information about Hollandaise and other hot egg-thickened sauces:

Don’t try to make Hollandaise or Bearnaise on a very humid day, unless you use Clarified Butter. You say “what is Clarified Butter?” Very simply it is merely melted butter with the sediment removed. But, as it is used in so many different ways – among others as a sauce for cooked lobster, to make brown and black butter and as a baking ingredient—here is the recipe. Melt completely over low heat:

Butter:
Remove from heat and let stand a few minutes, allowing the milk solids to settle to the bottom. Skim the butter fat from the top and strain the clear yellow liquid into a container.

Cook these sauces over-not in-hot, but not boiling, water. If you use a heatproof glass double boiler you can see when the water begins to boil, at which time add 1 or 2 tablespoons of cold water to lower temperature slightly. Keep stirring the sauce constantly and add the melted butter very, very, slowly at first. Scrape the mixture away from the sides and bottom of the pan as you stir to keep the sauce smooth. A wooden spoon or a whisk is the best tool for making Hollandaise. If you freeze Hollandaise or any other roux-based sauce, it must be reheated in a double boiler over-not-in-hot water, stirring briskly to preserve consistency. Should any of these egg sauces break, beat into them at once 1 to 2 tablespoons chilled cream. A slightly curdled sauce can be rescued in a blander, although its texture will not be so smooth as that of an originally well made sauce.