The easiest Hollandaise Sauce

If a sauce is claimed to be from The Netherlands, then there is no excuse for me not to make it.

In 1593, the first recipe appeared in a book by Carel Baten, although the intructions in that time were a bit more simplistic:

Carel Baten's book

Neemt bruyn boter ende vet uut der panne, latet wel heet werden met wat azijns, peper, nagelpoeder en suycker. Latet tsamen sieden ende cloppet wel totdat het gebonden is.

Sounds easy enough, right? 

Honestly, making Hollandaise sauce scared me for a while, since all the recipes seemed complicated and a "recipe" for disaster. But, I can make mayonnaise, and the way I see it, if you"ve mastered that, you can make Hollandaise.

So, no more excuses and let's get to work. You need:

3 egg yolks

10 tbsp unsalted butter (about 140-150 grams)

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

dash of cayenne (optional)

In a bowl, mix the yolks, lemon juice, salt & cayenne together with a handmixer. 

Now, recently I got my grandmother's 1950's handmixer, and it's hands down the best piece of equipment in my kitchen. It's old, but still works like it's brand new.

In a small saucepan, heat the butter (but do not boil!) until it's melted. Now just like when making mayonnaise, whilst mixing the yolks, slowly pour a thin stream of the butter into the bowl, until finished and it's formed a smooth emulsion. Serve immediately, or keep it warm (but not too hot) in a pan of hot water au-bain-marie style.

In the picture above, the Hollandaise is served with a poached egg, on top of a 

toasted coconut-psyllium bun and a merguez sausage wrapped around.

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