Béarnaise Sauce
Béarnaise sauce is a sauce made of clarified butter emulsified in egg yolks and white wine vinegar and flavored with herbs. It is considered to be a "child" of the mother Hollandaise sauce, one of the five mother sauces in the French haute cuisine repertoire. ~ Wikipedia
Ingredients
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 sprigs tarragon, leaves finely minced, stems reserved separately
1 small shallot, chopped
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter
Kosher salt
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Emersion Blender - link is to Breville, which I use, while any emersion blender will work
Fine mesh strainer - link to Cuisinart set of three fine mesh strainers… you just need one to make this recipe
Directions
Combine vinegar, wine, tarragon stems, shallots, and black peppercorns in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and lower heat to maintain a gently simmer. Cook until reduced to about 1 1/2 tablespoons of liquid, about 15 minutes. Carefully strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.
Combine vinegar reduction, egg yolk, and a pinch of salt in the bottom of a cup that barely fits the head of an immersion blender. Melt butter in a small saucepan over high heat, swirling constantly, until foaming subsides. Transfer butter to a 1-cup liquid measuring cup.
Place head of immersion blender into the bottom of the cup and turn it on. With the blender constantly running, slowly pour hot butter into cup. It should emulsify with the egg yolk and vinegar reduction. Continue pouring until all butter is added. Sauce should be thick and creamy. If it is thin and runny, transfer to a large bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly and vigorously until sauce is thickened. Season to taste with salt. Whisk in chopped tarragon and chervil. Serve immediately, or transfer to a small lidded pot and keep in a warm place for up to 1 hour before serving. Béarnaise cannot be cooled and reheated.
