Béarnaise Sauce

Name: Béarnaise Sauce
Yield: About 1 cup.
Ingredients: 1½ tablespoon freshly chopped tarragon leaves or half the amount dried; Salt to taste; ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; 3 egg yolks (save whites for another purpose); 2 tablespoons cold water; 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot or onion; 1 tablespoon freshly chopped tarragon leaves or half the amount dried; 3 tablespoons tarragon vinegar; 12 tablespoons (¾ cup; 1½ sticks) butter

Preparation info

About
1 cup
.

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Craig Claiborne’s Kitchen Primer

By Craig Claiborne

Published 1969

About

This herbal cousin of hollandaise was named after the birthplace of Henri IV, Béarn, an historic, former French province in Southwest France. The principal herb and flavor of the sauce is tarragon.

Ingredients

12 tablespoons (¾ cup; 1½ sticks) butter
3

Sauce
Vegetarian
Gluten-free

Method

Place a skillet on the stove and add about ½ inch of water. Bring this water to the simmering point—that is, until it bubbles gently.
Place the butter in a small saucepan and let butter melt over low heat. Do not let the butter bubble; just melt it.