Bearnaise sauce

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PRESENTATION

Béarnaise sauce is such a staple in French cuisine. Really good stuff. It adds that touch of elegance to your meal. You know, the kind you find in Parisian restaurants. It pairs perfectly with a juicy steak or a tender piece of fish. What sets it apart from Hollandaise is, well, the distinct flavor from fresh tarragon, shallots, and a dash of cayenne pepper. And the sauce? These Béarnaise sauce ingredients give it a smooth, almost velvety texture. Seriously good. It's traditionally served with chateaubriand, but it’s just as delicious with anything that needs a rich, creamy boost. This version might be a bit simpler than what you'd find in a Paris bistro, but it totally captures that authentic taste and can make any dinner feel special.

Making Béarnaise sauce at home is a fun way—truthfully—to bring a taste of France to your table. People often think it's challenging, but with a bit of patience, you'll find that homemade Béarnaise is silky and rich, perfect for all sorts of dishes. And look, the fresh tarragon adds a refreshing pop, and the shallots contribute a subtle sweetness—really really nice—these small touches give you the feeling of dining in a French bistro. If you're curious about how to make Béarnaise sauce, it’s about balancing flavors so every bite is just right, always flavorful but never overpowering. There are even Béarnaise sauce variations to explore, but the classic version? Way way better when you want something with a little elegant French flair. Whether you're serving it at a dinner party or a casual meal, this sauce brings a touch of sophistication that's sure to impress. No question.

INGREDIENTS
Ingredients for about 17.6 oz of Bearnaise sauce
Egg yolks 4
Clarified butter ¾ cup (300 g)
Water 4.7 tbsp (70 ml)
Dry white wine 1.7 oz (50 ml)
White wine vinegar 2 tsp (10 ml)
Shallot 1
Tarragon 2 sprigs
Fine salt to taste
White pepper to taste - minced
Lemon juice to taste - (optional)
Preparation

How to prepare Bearnaise sauce

To prepare Bearnaise sauce, quickly rinse the tarragon under water to remove any soil residues, then pluck the leaves 1 and finely chop them with a kitchen knife 2. Peel the shallot and cut it into wedges 3.

In a small saucepan, pour the water 4, white wine 5, and white wine vinegar 6, and season everything with white pepper and salt;

add the shallot 7 and half of the chopped tarragon 8, then bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat, and cook until it is reduced to one-third 9.

Remove the infusion from the heat, let it cool, and strain the liquids through a sieve 10. In a bowl, place the 4 egg yolks 11 and start whisking them with a hand whisk or an electric mixer, gradually incorporating the infusion 13.

When the mixture is frothy, place the bowl over a pot of boiling water, cooking the sauce in a bain-marie, and continue working with the whisk 13. Now pour the warm clarified butter slowly into the yolk mixture 14 and continue whisking until you obtain a smooth, soft, and homogeneous mixture, similar to the consistency of zabaglione, which, when poured, forms ribbons 15.

Remove the sauce from the heat and transfer it to a bowl; adjust with salt and pepper and add, if you like, a few drops of lemon juice and finally the remaining tarragon 16. Stir to combine all the flavors 17, and your Bearnaise sauce is ready to serve 18!

Storage

Bearnaise sauce is a preparation that should be consumed immediately.
You can leave it out of the fridge for about 8 hours, covered with a sheet of cling film, and keep it warm in a bain-marie.
You can store it in the refrigerator, always covered with a sheet of cling film, for no more than one day, reheating it later in a bain-marie.

Advice

Bearnaise is an extremely delicate sauce: for this reason, you need to pay close attention to a couple of points. The first one: during the cooking phase, avoid letting the bowl come into contact with the boiling water. The second one: whisk, but not too much! In this case, the cream might break and the sauce could become separated. If this happens, don't panic: it has happened to me a few times and I discovered that it can be fixed by adding an egg yolk. Do this: in a clean bowl, gradually incorporate the curdled sauce into a fresh egg yolk. No one will ever know!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.