Feeling saucy? Try Béarnaise with food other than steak (2024)

Feeling saucy? Try Béarnaise with food other than steak (1)
Feeling saucy? Try Béarnaise with food other than steak (2)

Fri Dec 16 2016 - 13:00

A recent storm has passed over Twitter on Irish food and the way in which it is labelled. When we must sit down and argue semantics about what “produced in”, “product of” and “made by” signify, I think we’re in trouble.

Wherever the product comes from is not a problem, as long as it’s clearly labelled. It is okay to eat food from other countries (we wouldn’t survive otherwise: think of our non-existent sugar industry), providing the words “Ireland” or “Irish” are not used as empty marketing tools.

Cod suffers from this phenomenon. The ocean is a big place and who owns the fish is a perilous question, as anyone who watched the documentary Atlantic will know very well.

We gave away a lot of our fish and now we want it back. We need to look to future generations before making executive decisions about the sea our children will inherit.

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Making the sauce

Cod pairs wonderfully with the classic Béarnaise sauce. Most people associate this sauce with steak, but I feel it works better with the tender delicacy of poached white fish.

Clarify 300g of cubed butter by melting it over a low heat. When the butter foams, remove from the heat and leave it a few minutes so that the white solids sink to the bottom of the pot. Sieve the butter through some muslin, discarding the solids.

Combine 60ml of cider vinegar with some shallots and some tarragon. Heat until the volume of liquid has reduced by half. Strain and cool. Lightly beat three egg yolks with one teaspoon of water. Stir the egg yolk mixture into the vinegar and add the juice of half a lemon.

Pour the mixture into a bowl placed over a pan of gently simmering water. Whisk continually until the sauce has thickened. Remove the bowl from the heat and slowly fold in the clarified butter until the mixture is nice and smooth.

Fold in the some chopped tarragon and season with a little sea salt. Serve with a piece of poached cod and some seasonal sprouting broccoli or Brussels sprouts.

Feeling saucy? Try Béarnaise with food other than steak (2024)

FAQs

What food goes with bearnaise sauce? ›

But you can use it for any cooked meat or fish that needs a saucy touch! Sauce up your cooked veggies. You'd be surprised how good this tastes over roasted vegetables, such as roasted broccoli (similar to this roasted broccoli with hollandaise sauce) or these garlic herb roasted potatoes.

What does bearnaise sauce taste like? ›

Irresistibly creamy, buttery, and rich, Béarnaise combines an herby, slightly acidic reduction of white wine, vinegar, shallots, fresh tarragon, and lemon juice with hollandaise to make a luscious sauce for spooning over grilled steak, chicken, fish, or vegetables.

What if béarnaise is too runny? ›

Notes. If your béarnaise is thin and runny, transfer to a large bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly and vigorously until sauce is thickened.

What is sauce bearnaise terminology? ›

Béarnaise sauce (/bərˈneɪz/; French: [be. aʁ. nɛz]) is a sauce made of butter, egg yolk, white-wine vinegar, and herbs. It is regarded as a "child" of hollandaise sauce.

What type of dishes is hollandaise served with? ›

Versatile: Hollandaise sauce is a versatile condiment that can be used in many dishes. It can be served over vegetables, fish, meat, and of course, Eggs Benedict. Hollandaise sauce also pairs well with grilled chicken or fish, roasted vegetables, and steamed asparagus.

What is sauce bearnaise effect? ›

During conditioned food aversion — a.k.a. sauce béarnaise syndrome — the ingestion of a spoiled food item leads to a lasting aversion towards cues reminiscent of the item. A new study finds that, in Drosophila, taste aversion depends on the immune system and the mushroom body.

Can béarnaise sauce make you sick? ›

Foods made with raw and lightly cooked eggs can also pose big risks, including homemade mayonnaise, béarnaise sauce, hollandaise sauce, homemade ice-cream, mousses, custards, tiramisu and uncooked pancake batter, cake mix, pastry or biscuit dough.

What will happen to a béarnaise sauce if it gets too hot? ›

Yolks are combined with a herb-infused vinegar reduction over a double boiler, then melted butter is carefully and slowly drizzled in while whisking. Too fast and the sauce will split. Too hot and the eggs will scramble.

How do you fix béarnaise sauce? ›

Put egg yolk in a clean bowl. Whisk it then add the broken sauce drop by drop with continuing to whisk. If you don't have 3 hands or a way to hold the bowl still, you may want someone to help you. Whisk until the sauce is creamy and hom*ogeneous.

What is sauce bearnaise syndrome? ›

sauce béarnaise effect

a colloquial term referring to a conditioned taste aversion. If a person happens to become ill after tasting a new food, such as sauce béarnaise, they may subsequently dislike and avoid that food. Regardless of the actual cause of the illness, the sauce will be identified with it.

What is bearnaise sauce common usage? ›

Béarnaise sauce is a delicious and creamy classic French sauce that is often made from a reduction of vinegar and wine mixed with shallots, tarragon, and (sometimes) chervil and thickened with egg yolks and butter. It's typically served with meat, fish, eggs, or vegetables.

What's the difference between béarnaise and mayonnaise? ›

If you're feeling a bit fancy, there are two mayonnaise alternatives to add to your saucy arsenal: béarnaise and hollandaise. While mayo is egg yolks plus oil (usually olive oil, sometimes sunflower), béarnaise and hollandaise feature egg yolks plus clarified butter.

What is the difference between hollandaise and bearnaise 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.

Is bearnaise sauce good on pizza? ›

Bearnaise sauce. It is a popular sauce in Sweden and on pizza in Sweden. My favourite Swedish pizza, usually called an Amadeus, has beef steak, mushrooms, onions and bearnaise sauce.

What will happen to a bearnaise sauce if it gets to hot? ›

Overheating spells disaster — the béarnaise will curdle. But if you take your time, you will end up with a beautiful satiny sauce that has been one of the glories of the French table since it was first created almost 200 years ago.

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