1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons taragon vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots or onion
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 sprigs taragon
chopped 1 sprig chervilchopped (can substitute mint)
salt and pepper
optional – 1 sprig parsley minced
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup melted butter

Cook everything but the eggs and butter over direct heat until reduced by half. Strain the mixture, discard the solids, and allow the liquid to cool. Then whisking briskly and constantly, over – not in – hot water, add egg a little at a time. Once egg has been combined, slowly add butter a little at a time. Don’t use butter fat at the bottom. Continue whisking until sauce thickens slightly. Tips: Try to use fresh taragon and chervil, but dried will do. Use hot, not boiling, water in the bottom of the double boiler. Overheating is death to Bearnaise. Be patient.

Enough for 4-6 steaks

20 minutes

15 minutes

Hard

paul

2004-03-13 20:22:36

Bearnaise sauce from scratch can be frustratingly difficult to make. My success rate was about 50% on my first half dozen tries. But it is certainly worth the effort when you do succeed. We can’t imagine a steak without it. You’ll need a double boiler.