Asparagus with Lemon and Tarragon Hollandaise (2024)

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Method

Serves 4

  1. First make the hollandaise sauce. Using a large balloon whisk, beat the egg yolks with a squeeze of lemon juice and seasoning in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Beat vigorously for about 10 minutes until the mixture thickens. (To make sure the sauce doesn't overheat, take it on and off the heat while you whisk, scraping around the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula.) The aim is to achieve a golden, airy sauce that forms ribbons on the surface when the whisk is lifted.

  2. Warm the olive oil in a small pan, then set aside. Off the heat, gradually add a little of the warmed olive oil at a time to the egg mix, then return the bowl over a gentle heat to cook a little more. Remove from the heat again and whisk in another dash of warm oil.Repeat until all the oil is incorporated and the sauce has a thick, mayonnaise-like consistency.

  3. Whisk in lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, plus 2–3 tablespoons of warm water to give the mixture a pouring consistency, then add the chopped tarragon.

  4. Blanch the asparagus by plunging it into boiling salted water for 2–3 minutes until its rawness has been removed but it is still crunchy. Drain well and serve with the hollandaise.

Gordon Ramsay
Ultimate Cookery Course
By Hodder & Stoughton
Text © Gordon Ramsay 2013
Photography © Anders Schønnemann 2012

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Asparagus with Lemon and Tarragon Hollandaise (2024)

FAQs

What sauce is made from hollandaise with the addition of a tarragon reduction? ›

To make Béarnaise, you start with a reduction of wine, vinegar, shallots, and tarragon. Set it aside while you make the hollandaise, which is a semi-permanent emulsion of egg yolks and clarified butter. Stir the herbal reduction into hollandaise, and voila! You have Béarnaise sauce.

What hollandaise derivative is made with the addition of a tarragon reduction and garnish of tarragon and chervil? ›

Béarnaise – Tarragon, white wine, and vinegar reduction, fresh chervil, and tarragon.

What if I put too much lemon in my hollandaise sauce? ›

What do I do if my hollandaise sauce is too lemony? You can either start again, or try adding another egg yolk and a bit more melted butter.

What is hollandaise sauce made of? ›

Hollandaise sauce (/hɒlənˈdeɪz/ or /ˈhɒləndeɪz/; French: [ɔlɑ̃dɛz]), meaning Dutch sauce in French, is a mixture of egg yolk, melted butter, and lemon juice (or a white wine or vinegar reduction). It is usually seasoned with salt, and either white pepper or cayenne pepper.

What's the difference between Benedict sauce and hollandaise sauce? ›

It's what happens next that sets them apart: Hollandaise gets its acidity from lemon juice (sometimes vinegar) and is usually seasoned with salt, white pepper, and cayenne pepper. Béarnaise, meanwhile, builds upon hollandaise with white wine vinegar, shallots, tarragon, and other fresh herbs.

What is a common mistake with hollandaise sauce? ›

Hollandaise Sauce

One common hollandaise mistake is overcooking the egg yolks, and there's no coming back from that. But the most common problem is that the emulsion breaks, and you see streaks of liquid butter instead of a uniformly creamy sauce.

What is a good substitute for tarragon in sauce? ›

Basil Leaves have an aromatic, sweet flavor that blends well with garlic and tomatoes. You can use this ingredient as a tarragon substitute in your pasta, marinara sauce, and minestrone recipes.

Is béarnaise just hollandaise with tarragon? ›

It is regarded as a "child" of hollandaise sauce. The difference is only in the flavoring: béarnaise uses shallot, black pepper, and tarragon, while hollandaise uses white pepper or a pinch of cayenne. The sauce's name derives from the province of Béarn, France. It is a traditional sauce for steak.

What seasoning is close to tarragon? ›

Fresh tarragon is harder to mimic with a substitution than dried. If the recipe calls for dried tarragon, your options open up a bit. Dried marjoram, oregano, basil, dill, or even rosemary or fennel or anise seed (in a pinch) will work well.

What vinegar is closest to tarragon? ›

However, you could use a good-quality white wine vinegar as an alternative. If you have dried tarragon then you could also cover 1 teaspoon of this with 60ml (¼ cup or 4 tablespoons) of white wine vinegar, cover it and and leave it to steep overnight.

Why do we add vinegar to hollandaise sauce? ›

How To Make Hollandaise | A French Mother Sauce mentions that the vinegar is reduced to achieve the right acidity. If it has a pH of 4.5 it raises the temperature at which the eggs will curdle so that you can thicken the sauce over low heat.

Why does my hollandaise taste bad? ›

final sauce is too thick: thin the sauce down with a bit of water or lemon juice. Thick sauces can easily split; thinning them down with a bit of liquid will help to stabilize the emulsion. sauce tastes eggy: this can mean the sabayon was not cooked enough or not enough butter was added to the sabayon.

Can I use vinegar instead of lemon juice in hollandaise? ›

Continue whisking until the mixture thickens and reaches a luxurious consistency akin to that of traditional hollandaise. White wine vinegar provides an excellent alternative to lemon juice, but it's worth noting that other citrus options like orange, blood orange, or lime juice can also be used as substitutes.

What does hollandaise sauce taste like? ›

What is Hollandaise Sauce? If you've never experienced the magic of hollandaise sauce, let me attempt to describe it to you. It's a very simple savory sauce made with butter, egg yolk, lemon, and salt. It has a smooth, velvety texture with just the right amount of bright lemon flavor to keep it from being too heavy.

What is the meaning of hollandaise sauce in food? ›

hol·​lan·​daise ˌhä-lən-ˈdāz. : a rich sauce made basically of butter, egg yolks, and lemon juice or vinegar.

Which of the following ingredients is found in hollandaise sauce? ›

hollandaise sauce, one of the classic sauces of French cooking, made of butter, egg yolks, lemon juice, and pepper and usually served on fish, eggs, or vegetables.

What's the difference between mayonnaise and hollandaise sauce? ›

Mayonnaise combines egg, acid (vinegar or citrus juice, sometimes both) and oil, while aioli combines egg, garlic and oil. Aioli's texture is a little thicker than glossy mayonnaise. Meanwhile, hollandaise is a warm sauce that uses butter in place of oil.

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