anyone know the secret of a great Holendase sauce

[andycam]

I'd really love to know the best way of making a real hollandaise sauce without using a blender or a jar.

[SimonM]

You use a pyrex basin over (almost) boiling water :))

(Pedantry alert: it's actually called Hollandaise sauce)

[Jeremy]

I posted before but it disappeared... yes, glass bowl over a pan of water. Slowly whisk melted butter & lemon juice into the eggs. Maybe put one or two spoons of hot water from the pan into the sauce to help it on it's way.

[annaj]

My new years resolution this year was generally to cook more and spefically to learn to make hollandaise sauce.

James, being a total novice I think I need a bit more instruction and detail than your summary.

So, does anyone have a good recipie or any tips? Sean, you must have something to say on the subject?

[Jeremy]

James? Do you mean me?

I think because it's such a simple and well established sauce to make, you'll probably find that most of the blenderless recipes are more or less the same.

This recipe is pretty much what I'd do (and I like the site's "scientific" angle):

http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/eggs/recipe-hollandaise.html

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Salmon tonight so I'll follow this recipe and report back. I usually just busk it.

[Domitianus]

I think the big mistake here is that people are confusing 'Holendase' sauce with its better known cousin Hollandaise sauce. They are very different beasts.

A 'Holendase' sauce requires a quart of DM's fresh breast milk, two onions (although some say that DM's milk is sour enough already), a bar of Green & Black's chocolate, the tears of a dozen spoilt ED brats, a bottle of rum and a dash of environmentally friendly washing powder. These should be filtered through the defunct drain underneath Green & Blue, reduced over a table-warmer from the Dulwich Tandoori and then drizzled over a veggie ciabatta from Mon Petit Chou. I hope I have cleared up this unfortunate misunderstanding.

[Annasfield]

Gross....

[Domitianus]

Annasfield Wrote:

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> Gross....

Well, that's DM for you.....

[KalamityKel]

Dom u sure know how to turn a gal on! :P

[annaj]

James? Do you mean me?

Yes, sorry, must learn to read properly - next years resolution maybe!

[SimonM]

>>Gross....<<

Agreed. Such a criminal waste of good chocolate....

[andycam]

Always nice to know when you copy and paste a spelling error that you guys are kind enough to point it out without too much sarcasm. Heh heh! Cheers guys.

[dulwichmum]

Shame on you Domitianus - this is filth!

[Domitianus]

Hey, I didn't invent the recipe! I here there is an inferior version using cheap au pairs' breast milk but it isn't quite as rich and creamy.

[Domitianus]

That should have been 'hear'!

[KalamityKel]

*rolls eyes* do ppl still use "wet nurses" these days then?

[Domitianus]

KalamityKel Wrote:

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> *rolls eyes* do ppl still use "wet nurses" these

> days then?

Yep. I get my copy off the top shelf every month. My favourite publication!

[Annasfield]

::o

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Clean up time.

Made hollandaise but too impatient to follow recipe exactly. Used two egg yolks and half a lemon and two thirds pack of butter. Didn't bother to melt it, just added in knobs (honi soit qui mal y pense).

Too lemony, though I quite like it tart (ditto).

[Asset]

If it's anythinbg like mayonnaise, don't try to make it whilst menstruating.

[Annasfield]

What you really need to do is make a good reduction. This involves simmering white wine vinegar with peppercorns and finely sliced shallots. When this is ready, whisk in your egg yolks over a bain marie. Once fluffy and when ribbons appear when you're whisking you can begin to add your clarified butter. Whisk constanly until thick and the eggs have cooked out.

Ooooh - check out all the chef jargon in there!

I remember learning to make that at work with sort of celebrity chef - Nigel Smith. (If you google his name and Blackburn, you might recognise him) Anyway, I was standing over the range in my new whites, whisking away. My arm was killing me and I was beginning to get rather hot. He uttered the words "what are you - a man or a mouse?" At this point I was ready to throw in the towel and stated "mouse!". Anyway, whenever I make hollandaise now, I recall that moment and make sure that the whisking continues.

Finally, if you make too much hollandaise you can always refrigerate it and resurrect it again the next day. Just heat some cream in a pan and whisk in the solidified hollandaise.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I've not actually made an hollandaise sauce before - but Annasfield's definitely sounds like the way to go

[Michael Palaeologus]

Not sure how you would introduce chilli into the mix Sean- you may wish to think again.

[Annasfield]

If you put chillis in, it wouldn't be hollandaise anymore. Bearnaise is hollandaise with tarragon and chervil.

Although using a chilli infused white wine vinegar would be interesting :))