Sauce Hollandaise/Sauce Mayonnaise
- Serves: 4 – 5
- Preparation Time: 15 minutes
- Total Cooking time: 5 minutes
These two sauces are commonly known as “Mother” sauces in French cuisine because from the basic recipe, an almost unending amount of variations can be formed. For example, add tarragon and shallots while preparing a hollandaise sauce and you have béarnaise sauce, which is perfect over grilled beef tenderloin, or add crushed garlic while preparing mayonnaise to make aioli, want to add red bell pepper puree and chopped onions? Voila, you now have remoulade sauce. There really isn’t much you can not do with these two humble sauces.
Ingredients for Hollandaise
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | egg yolks | |
| 1/4 | cups | lemon juice |
| 2 | cups | butter cut into chunks or melted |
| 1 | dash | Tobasco sauce |
| Salt to taste |
Ingredients for Mayonnaise
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | whole | eggs |
| ¼ | cup | red wine or white wine vinegar |
| 4 | cups | oil (sunflower, olive, or vegetable work best) |
| 1 ½ | tbsp | lemon juice |
| Salt to taste |
To prepare Hollandaise:
Heat 2 cups of water in a medium sauce pan until just simmering. Using a stainless steel or heatproof glass bowl whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together over the heat being careful not to overheat and “scramble” the eggs. Whisk in the butter a few chunks at a time (or in a thin steady stream if using melted butter) whisking constantly until the sauce begins to emulsify (it will take on a velvety appearance) then work in the remaining butter, being careful not to overheat and break the sauce add the Tabasco sauce and adjust the salt to taste and serve immediately over cauliflower or eggs benedict.
To prepare Mayonnaise:
Whisk eggs, vinegar and salt together in a glass bowl until well blended. Whisk in the oil in a steady stream, stirring vigorously adding more oil as the sauce thickens and turns an ivory white color when the sauce is about the thickness of a chilled pudding fold in the remaining lemon juice and season to taste. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and serve with chilled crab or lobster. Or use instead of off the shelf mayonnaise in sandwiches.
