Adrienne introduced me to this Mock Hollandaise sauce one evening when we were having a simple dinner of grilled scallops and a salad. I love the bright lemony lightness of it. It became my go-to sauce for so many dishes – try it on trout with a bit of dill chopped in at the end, simply grilled chicken breasts with a bit of chopped tarragon, boiled parsley potatoes, steamed asparagus and, of course, Eggs Benedict. You can turn it into a Sauce Batarde by substituting 1/2 cup chicken or fish stock for the lemon juice depending on what you are serving. In that case you may want to add a squeeze of lemon at the end before you add the final butter.
This Mock Hollandaise Sauce is much easier to make than a true hollandaise due to the addition of a small amount of flour. This makes it more stable so you can make it ahead and then gently warm it before serving. It keeps for a week in the fridge and a month in the freezer. Bring it to room temperature before heating it or else it will separate.
Easy Mock Hollandaise Sauce
The addition of a ew tablespoons of flour stabilizes this light lemony sauce so that it can be made ahead and gently reheated.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped shallots
- 6-8 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1 cup white wine
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt/pepper
Directions
- Step 1 Over medium heat place 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan. Add the shallots when the butter is foaming. Cook for 2-3 minutes – don’t let the shallots brown. Add the flour and blend into a smooth paste. Add the wine and allow to simmer for 5-6 minutes. Add the lemon juice and remove from heat.
- Step 2 Blend the egg yolks and the mustard with a wire whisk in a medium bowl. Measure ½ cup of the liquid in the saucepan and add it to the egg yolk mixture by teaspoons at first, stirring after each addition, then beat in the rest in a thin stream. This process acclimatizes the egg to the temperature of the liquid. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan bring to a simmer until it has thickened slightly. Taste for seasoning – it will probably need salt and pepper – use white pepper if you have it so that the sauce is not dotted with black pepper. Keep warm over very low heat.
- Step 3 Just before serving* remove from heat and beat in 4 – 6 Tablespoons softened butter. Add just enough butter to obtain a balance of rich tartness. Add a squeeze of lemon juice if necessary.
- Step 4 *If you have made the sauce ahead and/or refrigerated it, bring it to room temperature before reheating gently. Then remove from heat to add the final tablespoons of butter.
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