Bearnaise Sauce: Eggy Indulgence

In our blog this fortnight, we're talking about eggs. Naturally, we wanted to highlight a great egg recipe, but which? Eggs are so versatile and delicious. We wanted to provide you with a recipe you may not have considered trying before (so no devilled eggs) and came upon this indulgent French Bearnaise sauce. 

An added bonus is this sauce is great on steak, chicken, fish or vegetables, so you can use it on any dish!

Ingredients

• 2 egg yolks 
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and clarified 
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1/2 tablespoon dried tarragon

Method
1. In a high-powered blender, add the egg yolks, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. Blend for 5 seconds until combined. 

2. Pour the mixture into a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering (not boiling) water (this is a Bain-Marie. Ensure the bowl doesn't touch the water but is getting heated by the steam). 

3. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and becomes light and frothy. Remove the bowl from the heat and slowly whisk in the melted, clarified butter*, a tablespoon at a time.

4. Stir in the tarragon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately over steak, fish, or vegetables.

* Clarified butter is made by melting butter, skimming off the foam, and leaving the liquid in the bottom of the pan. Clarified butter is not strictly necessary for a Béarnaise sauce recipe, but it is often preferred. Clarified butter gives a thicker and smoother sauce, while whole butter is airier, runnier, and more buttery tasting. Clarified butter also has a higher smoke point, which makes it ideal for cooking and baking. The process of clarifying butter removes the milky solids from the butter, so it is almost 100 percent butterfat.