Béarnaise sauce is a piquant child of hollandaise, one of the so-called mother sauces of French cuisine. It is simply an emulsification — egg yolks and butter cut through with vinegar flavored with tarragon and shallots, with a bite of black pepper. Think of it as a loose mayonnaise, requiring only plenty of whisking and a careful hand with the heat to master. You don’t need the clarified butter many recipes call for — a good unsalted butter, melted, works just fine. Apply the sauce to steaks or burgers, asparagus or salmon. The sauce’s richness improves virtually everything it touches. Béarnaise and steak are a match made in heaven, but this sauce has a few other divine uses. Try it spooned over poached eggs or spread over roast fish.

What goes in Béarnaise Sauce

To make Béarnaise Sauce, you need: white wine vinegar, white wine, butter, egg yolks, tarragon, chervil and eschalots/shallots (the small sweet onions sometimes called French eschalots.)

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Béarnaise Sauce

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Flip Flop Foodies Course: Roux’s Sauces Stocks & MarinadesCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

• 8 oz 8 unsalted butter

• 3 tbsp 3 tarragon vinegar

• 1/2 cup 1/2 white wine

• 1 tsp 1 lemon juice

• 1 dash 1 Louisiana Hot Sauce

• 1 tbsp 1 tarragon, chopped

• 1 tsp 1 green onions, sliced

• 1 tsp 1 parsley, chopped

• 3 3 egg yolks

• salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

Directions

• Melt butter over medium-high heat in a small sauté pan. Set aside and allow to cool slightly. In a separate sauté pan, combine vinegar, white wine, lemon juice, hot sauce, tarragon, green onions and parsley. Bring to a slight boil, whisking constantly, and reduce to half volume.
• ​In a stainless steel bowl, whisk egg yolks into vinegar mixture until well blended. Place bowl over a double boiler and whisk constantly until egg mixture has doubled in volume and is smooth and creamy. Be careful not to overheat, as eggs will scramble.
• Remove bowl from saucepan and add melted butter in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly. If sauce becomes too thick, add a few drops of warm water. Season with salt, pepper and additional lemon juice if necessary. Best when served immediately.