If you’ve been following this column for any time at all, you know it rarely dips into the world of professional cooking. I’m more interested in helping home cooks do what they do well and enjoy it, both in the kitchen and at the table.
But there’s a trend in public dining rooms that has been bothering me for quite some time and it’s finally gone too far to keep ignoring it. The trend in question is the loose use and misuse of culinary terms and proper names for specific dishes.
It’s the bar that has a “martini” menu of a dozen or more co*cktails that are no more a martini than a glass of sweet tea. It’s the menu with an item titled “Eggs Benedict” which resembles that dish only in that it has eggs of some kind nestled on toasted bread, topped with a sauce that is described as, say, an “orange-infused” or “sherry and tomato” Hollandaise.
Excuse me for being a crank, but they’re not offering Eggs Benedict, which is the name of a specific dish. And those sauces they’re using to top it are not, in fact, Hollandaise any more than a co*cktail glass filled with green apple or chocolate flavored alcohol is a martini.
That orange-flavored sauce is called Maltaise and the one with a wine reduction and tomato is called Choron. Moreover, the latter is actually based on a Hollandaise derivative, Béarnaise, so it’s already two generations removed from its mother sauce.
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The real deal
Hollandaise is a butter and egg emulsion that’s flavored with lemon. The confusion begins because it’s one of classic French cooking’s five base or “mother” sauces. The others are Béchamel (milk-based white sauce), Velouté (stock-based white sauce), Espagnole (stock-based brown sauce), and Tomate (tomato puree). From these five come all the other sauces.
But once they’re altered, understand that they become something else. For example, a béchamel or velouté with tomato added is not a “tomato béchamel” or “tomato velouté” but a Sauce Aurore. Likewise, while the mother sauce might have been Hollandaise, once other things are added to it, it’s no longer a “Hollandaise.” Period.
Actually, a proper Hollandaise is in itself derivative: it’s a sauce sabayon (a light, whipped emulsion of egg yolk, liquid and air) enriched with butter and flavored with lemon (or in old French cooking, a vinegar reduction or combination of both lemon and vinegar).
There are many more derivatives of this sauce: there’s Sauce Noisette, finished with browned butter, Sauce Foyot (or Sauce Valois), a Béarnaise finished with concentrated meat glaze, and Sauce Rubens, finished with a shellfish stock reduction and anchovy, to name a few.
In short: I’m not saying you can’t be inventive with the sauce, just that you need to invent a name to go with it, because Hollandaise is already taken. Sorry.
Hollandaise (and its derivatives) may seem a bit rich for serving in hot weather, but it’s a perfect sauce for the summer’s lighter fare, from seasonal produce to fish and poached eggs. And after all, rich things like this are meant to be reserved for special celebrations. Besides, as those old ads for the hair-styling product used to say, “a little dab'll do ya.”
Basics for Egg Emulsions
These egg-thickened sauces begin as a sabayon (that whipped emulsion of egg yolks, liquid and air). Melted or clarified butter or occasionally oil is added to this slowly so that it, too, is emulsified, and the sauce is finished with some kind of flavoring. The key to achieving a perfect sauce is mastery of the sabayon technique. Here are some tips for success, adapted from James Peterson’s masterwork, “Sauces” (3rd Edition/Wiley/2008):
• Have the eggs at room temperature. If you’ve not had time to let them sit out until they lose the refrigerator’s chill, submerge them, still in their shells, in very hot tap water for 2 minutes, then drain and use them at once.
• If the sabayon is undercooked, the sauce will be runny and thin and might even break, but if it overcooks, the eggs will curdle and the sauce will definitely break. While it’s over the heat, whip until you begin to see the bottom of the pan in the trail behind the whisk, then remove it from the heat and keep whisking for about 20 seconds to half a minute.
• Do not let the melted butter get too hot or allow the sauce to overheat: eggs begin curdling at 185 F, so let the butter be warm but nowhere near bubbly hot, and use a heavy-bottomed pan over no more than medium heat.
• If you don’t have a pan that’s heavy-bottomed, you may need to resort to a bain-marie (double boiler), but be aware that it will take longer, and if it takes too long, the sauce will tend to be heavy and actually be too thick.
• The most fat that a single egg yolk can absorb and hold in emulsion is ½ cup. More will cause it to break, but you can use less for a lighter sauce.
• Add the fat at a moderate pace. If it’s added too quickly, the egg won’t be able to absorb it all and will break, but if the fat is added too slowly, the sauce will be dense and heavy.
•Keep the sauce warm by setting the pan in a larger pan of hot water that’s not more than 145 F. If you’re holding it for a long time and it begins to get too thick, thin it by lightly whisking in a little water or cream.
Sauce Hollandaise
As mentioned above, older recipes often used a vinegar reduction with or instead of the lemon juice, but modern recipes mostly don’t include it. This is perfect not only for Eggs Benedict, but also for meaty produce such as artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, and haricots verts, for fish of almost any kind, shellfish, especially crabmeat and shrimp, and of course poached eggs all by themselves. Makes about 2 cups.
Ingredients:
• 8 ounces (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons water
• About 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt
• Ground cayenne or whole white peppercorns in a peppermill
Directions:
1. Melt butter over medium-low heat in heavy-bottomed pan, then turn off heat but keep warm. (Some classic recipes call for butter to be clarified, but I never bother with that.)
2. Off heat, whisk together eggs and water in separate heavy-bottomed pan until frothy, then put over direct medium heat. Whisk until tripled in volume and thickened, about 2 minutes. When whisk leaves clean trails where you can see bottom of pan, remove from heat and continue whisking for about half a minute.
3. Gradually whisk in warm butter, a little at a time. Whisk in lemon juice a little at a time, tasting as you go. You may not need all of it; sauce should not be too lemony. Season to taste with salt and cayenne or white pepper. Keep warm and serve as soon as possible.
Sauce Mousseline
What one gets when the sauce is lightened by folding in whipped cream. Serve it in any way you would a Hollandaise. Makes about 3 cups.
Ingredients:
• 8 ounces (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter
• ½ cup heavy cream, chilled
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons water
• About 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt
• Ground cayenne or whole white peppercorns in a peppermill
Directions:
1. Melt butter over medium-low heat in heavy-bottomed saucepan, then turn off heat but keep warm. Whip chilled cream to soft peaks.
2. Make sauce following Hollandaise recipe. Just before serving, fold in whipped cream, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Sauce Maltaise
When the flavoring is reduced orange juice infused with the zest, this is what it’s called. Lovely with fish of almost any kind and vegetables such as artichokes, asparagus and broccoli. Makes 2 cups.
Ingredients:
• 2 1-inch-wide strips zest from 1 orange, cut into julienne
• Freshly squeezed juice of 1 large orange
• 8 ounces (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons water
• Salt
• Ground cayenne or whole white peppercorns in a peppermill
Directions:
1. Put orange zest and juice in small, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Bring to simmer and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer gently until juice is reduced to 2 tablespoons. Turn off heat and strain, discarding zest. Melt butter over medium low heat, turn off heat, and keep warm.
2. Make sauce following Hollandaise recipe, omitting lemon juice and substituting orange reduction. Keep warm and serve as soon as possible.
Sauce Béarnaise
Possibly the most famous of the egg and butter emulsion sauces after Hollandaise, it’s made in exactly the same way, but is flavored with a reduction of wine, vinegar and aromatics, and is finished with fresh herbs. It’s heaven on steak, poached eggs and hearty fish. Makes about 2 cups.
Ingredients:
• 8 ounces (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 large sprigs tarragon
• 1 large sprig chervil or parsley
• 2 tablespoons shallot, finely minced
• 2-3 white peppercorns, crushed, plus more in a peppermill
• 3/8 cup (6 tablespoons) dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons tarragon or white wine vinegar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons water
• Salt
Directions:
1. Melt butter over medium low heat in heavy-bottomed pan, then turn off heat but keep warm. Strip leaves from tarragon and chervil, chop, and set aside.
2. Put herb stems, shallot, peppercorns, and wine in small, heavy-bottomed pan. Bring to simmer over medium-low heat and cook until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons. Turn off heat, let cool slightly, and strain, discarding solids.
3. Off heat, whisk together eggs and water in separate heavy-bottomed saucepan until frothy, then put over direct medium heat. Whisk until tripled in volume and thickened, about 2 minutes. When whisk leaves clean trails where you can see bottom of pan, remove from heat and continue whisking for about half a minute.
4. Gradually whisk in warm butter, a little at a time. Whisk in strained reduction and herbs. Taste and adjust salt and add white pepper to taste. Keep warm and serve as soon as possible.
Sauce Choron
This luscious tomato-flavored sauce is based on classic Béarnaise and is ideal for grilled or sautéed steaks or chops. You’ll need to make the puree first, though you can skip that and use a canned tomato puree (which will still need to be reduced) or 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Makes about 2½ cups.
Ingredients:
• 1 1/3 cups fresh tomato, seeded and chopped (with juice), or 1 cup canned tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 recipe Sauce Béarnaise (see recipe), made at point indicated in step 2
Directions:
1. Bring chopped tomato or puree and olive oil to simmer in heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Adjust heat to gentle simmer and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes are reduced by about half and very thick or puree is very thick and reduced by at least one-third. Turn off heat. Pour through strainer if using fresh tomato and keep warm.
2. Make Sauce Béarnaise following recipe. When ready, stir in tomato puree a little at a time, tasting as you go. You may not need all of puree. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
