Michelin Techniques for Hollandaise

Hollandaise

Michelin techniques to make Hollandaise sauce at home.
Author: Parker Hallberg

Materials

Reduction

  • 40 ml White wine vinegar
  • 40 ml White wine
  • 20 g Shallot
  • 4 ea Sprigs of thyme

Butter

  • 226 g Butter

Sabayon

  • 3 ea Egg yolks
  • 55-85 ml Clarified butter
  • t.t . lemon juice

Instructions

Reduction

  • Add the vinegar, white wine, thyme, and shallots to a pan, reducing by 2/3rds over low heat.
  • Strain out the liquid and set aside.

Butter

  • Melt the butter, then turn the heat to low and let all the water cook out. You will be left with butter fat and butter solids.

Sabayon

  • Add your egg yolks to a bowl with some of the reduction.
    * You can use any amount of yolks you want; the ratio is that one egg yolk can hold 2-3 oz clarified butter.
  • Cook the sabayon over a double boiler on low heat until the egg starts to thicken. You will be able to part the eggs with a rubber spatula, and it will slowly come back.
  • Slowly add in the butter, a little at a time. If the emulsion starts to get too thick, add some more reduction or room temperature water. Each yolk can handle 2-3 oz (55-85g of butter).
  • Optional: strain the sauce into another pot. Some say this knocks out a little air, but it also prevents lumps from getting into the final sauce. I didn't show this in the video, but I strain every sauce.

Season

  • To finish the sauce, add the lemon juice first. Once this tastes good, you can add salt if needed and some white pepper.