Hollandaise Sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- ¼ pound soft butter (I use hard cool butter) cut in 4 – 6 equal pieces
- 4 egg yolks
- Salt and pepper (white – I use black)
- lemon juice
Combine lemon juice, water, salt & pepper, egg yolks and 1 piece of butter in the top of a double boiler (I just use a good pan and put it directly on the med low heat – just enough to melt the butter). Stir with a whisk constantly until butter melts, add second piece of butter, whisk until melts, add third piece of butter whisking constantly until melted, then add final piece and whisk until melted – sauce should thicken. Stir for 2 -3 minutes more until the emulsion has formed and the sauce is rich and creamy. Finish the sauce with a few drops of lemon juice and stir in. (I usually use about a tablespoon or more). I also add less than 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Additional salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes if it gets too thick I add more lemon juice or water – taste to see which to add.
This keeps for an hour or so on a warming (low) surface. If at any time in the operation the mixture should curdle, beat in 1 – 2 tablespoons cold water (I either add ice to cold water or use water directly from the refrigerator) to rebind the emulsion