Béarnaise Sauce

Our foolproof take on classic Béarnaise Sauce yields an utterly delicious, low-carb blender sauce, perfect for steak, eggs, and veggies.

Prep: 10

Cook: 10

Total: 20

Yield:6 servings

Equipment

Large saucepan
whisk
Strainer
standard blender
Microwave safe bowl
Microwave

Ingredients

¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon shallots minced
3 tablespoons fresh tarragon minced, divided
⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper more or less to taste
2-3 large pinches salt more or less to taste
3 large egg yolks
14 tablespoons cold butter 1 ¾ sticks, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces, divided

Instructions

Heat large saucepan over medium heat. When pan is warm, add red wine vinegar, white wine, shallots, 1 tablespoon tarragon, pepper, and salt. Stir to incorporate and bring mixture to boil.
Let mixture boil until reduced to approximately ¼ cup total, including shallots and herbs. Approximately 2 tablespoons of liquid should remain.
When mixture is reduced, pour mixture through strainer and into blender. Discard strained aromatics. Let mixture sit in blender, uncovered, until completely cool.
While mixture cools, return saucepan to stove and reduce heat to very low. Add egg yolks and whisk until combined and thickened, then add 1 tablespoon cold butter and whisk to incorporate. Mixture should remain thick.
Add additional 1 tablespoon cold butter and remaining 2 tablespoons tarragon to saucepan. Whisk until incorporated, then transfer mixture to blender. Secure lid on blender and remove center cap. Let egg yolk mixture cool slightly.
While egg yolk mixture cools, melt remaining 12 tablespoons (¾ cup) butter in microwave. Microwave butter in 15 to 30 seconds increments, stirring between each, until butter is just melted, not bubbling or boiling.
Once egg yolk mixture has cooled, cover hole in blender lid with dish towel to prevent splattering, and blend to combine mixtures.
Drop by drop, pour melted butter into blender. Continue blending and adding butter until melted butter is incorporated and mixture has thickened. Transfer sauce to serving dish or drizzle over food and serve immediately.

Notes

Broken Sauce: If the béarnaise splits or breaks, there are two ways to save it, depending on when you notice the break.

If it's just starting to split, add in one to two teaspoons of red wine vinegar or dry white wine, and whisk vigorously. This should help lower the temperature of your sauce, smoothing it out again. Don't use too much liquid, or your sauce will be too thin.
If you don't catch the break early, the fix is slightly more involved. Place an egg yolk (yolk only, no egg whites) in a bowl, and whisk with a small amount of red wine vinegar or dry white wine. Very, very, very slowly, add spoonfuls of your broken béarnaise into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. The sauce should smooth out as you go. Serve the sauce immediately after this recovery.

Nutrition

Recipe By:Cheryl Malik