But not just any Hollandaise sauce, this batch of golden goodness is New Orleans Cajun spiced. Perfect to pair with New Orleans style Crab Cakes (Come back tomorrow for that recipe!).
But also, not only the spices, but this sauce is special as I was able to come up with a technique that allowed me to make a scratch sauce without the arm aching job of 10-15 minutes of whisking by hand. gods bless my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer!
Hollandaise is one of the 5 "Mother Sauces" of french gourmet cooking. Largely known for eggs Benedict, it is also commonly used for adding great flavor to vegetables (Asparagus Hollandaise is another reason to make this sauce... But I digress). It is an emulsification of egg yolks and butter that takes a great deal of agitation (whisking) to get right. Too little whisking and the sauce will separate. Too much and your arm feels like it has separated from your shoulder. There is also a great deal of cooking over indirect heat, but not too much heat... Well, you get the idea, it is a complicated technique that requires constant effort and attention.
Recently Blender versions of the sauce have surfaced and sure enough, they are good but not quite as good as the scratch version. Not as thick, not as succulent, not as... well, good.
My trick, borrowed from Julia Child, is to heat the metal bowl of the stand mixer (let it float in HOT Water for awhile), then mix the acid in the lemon juice with the eggs for about 5 minutes that will "cook" the eggs without the heat (and without danger of curdling the egg). Then, add the heated butter slowly and let the stand mixer do all the work of emulsification.
It works!
Scratch Hollandaise Sauce Made in a Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 2 TBS Hot Water (Added slowly while the whisk is running)
- large pinch Salt
- large pinch fresh ground Black Pepper
- 8 Dashes Tabasco Sauce
- Pinch Cayenne Pepper
- 2 Sticks (16 TBS, 1 Cup) Butter, melted and hot (Added slowly while the whisk is running)
- First, warm the bowl of the stand mixer. I add HOT water to the sink and "float" the bowl in the water. the bowl heats to just the right temperature. Try to not get water in the bowl so you start with a dry warm bowl.
- Meanwhile, Separate the egg yolks from the whites, discard the whites.
- Move bowl into locked position on the mixer. Add the yolks and start whisking on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Add the Lemon Juice and continue to whisk for 5 minutes.
- Now, add the remaining ingredients except the butter... Water (drizzled in slowly while the whisk is running), Salt, Pepper, Tabasco and Cayenne. Whisk for another 5 minutes until the sauce is thickened to the consistency of heavy cream. Thick enough to leave a thin trail as the whisk runs.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter. I melt mine in a microwave for 1 minute. COmes out warm but not hot enough to curdle the eggs,
- Next, SLOWLY... Slowly (important enough to say it twice), drizzle the butter into the egg mix with the whisk attachment running. Continue to run the mixer on medium high speed until all of the butter is added.
- Continue to whisk for 5 minutes until the sauce is thickened even more and there is no hint of a separation.
- Set sauce aside in a warm place. use fresh within an hour or so. You can store leftover sauce in the fridge and reheat but unless the sauce has fully emulsified, the sauce will separate. Best to use fresh/
- Serve Warm to room temperature with Poached Eggs, Vegetables or make some version of Eggs Benedict and ENJOY!
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