Warm Egg Yolk-Thickened Sauces

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Cooking
Cooking

By James Peterson

Published 2007

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There are two kinds of warm egg yolk-thickened sauces. The first is made by combining egg yolks with flavorful liquids and cooking them gently stirring constantly and taking care not to let the liquid boil, which would cause the yolks to curdle. The crème anglaise is an example of this type. The second kind is made by whisking egg yolks with a small amount of water until a frothy emulsion, called a sabayon, forms, and then adding clarified butter in a steady stream until the sauce thickens.

The first method is often used in conjunction with other thickeners, such as cream, flour, or butter. Old-fashioned recipes called for a large number of egg yolks and were very rich, but it is possible to make a sauce with the distinctive silky consistency that egg yolks contribute by using relatively few yolks—as few as 2 yolks for each cup of liquid.