Bearnaise Sauce

Classic French herbal cream sauce made with clarified butter emulsified in egg yolks and white wine vinegar. Considered a spinoff of Hollandaise sauce, so used in much the same way, it uses vinegar instead of the traditional lemon juice to introduce acid.

Ingredients

• Reduction
  • 1 cup tarragon leaves – chopped
  • 0.5 cup Shallots – sliced thin
  • 1 tsp Whole Black peppercorns
  • 4 oz White wine vinegar
  • 4 oz Dry white wine
  • 4 oz Water
• Compound Butter
  • 1 TBL Unsalted butter – cold
  • 0.25 cup Fresh Tarragon – chopped
  • 1 tsp Capers
• Bearnaise
  • 2 Egg yolks
  • 8 TBL Butter – cold
  • 3 TBL Tarragon-Vinegar reduction (from above)
  • 1 TBL Caper-tarragon compound butter (from above)
  • Salt and Cayenne pepper to taste
  • 1 pinch Ground black pepper

Process

1. Mise en Place: Measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
2. Make Reduction
   1. Place tarragon, shallots, and peppercorns in a saucepan.
   2. Pour in wine, vinegar, and water, and bring to a boil.
   3. Lower heat to Med-Low to maintain a gentle simmer.
   4. Simmer until reduced to 3 TBL, ~30 mins.
3. Make Compound Butter
   1. Place chopped tarragon and capers in a mortar and mash until pasty.
   2. Add 1 TBL cold butter and mash.
   3. Transfer to a film sheet and chill.
4. Make Bearnaise
   1. Place yolks in SS bowl and add 3 TBL of reduction.
   2. Add cold butter cubes
   3. Place over a bain Marie and whisk until sauce thickens, ~10 mins.
   4. Cut compound butter into squares.
   5. Stir in compound butter squares
   6. Remove from heat and season with salt, black pepper and Cayenne pepper.