Hollandaise Sauce -- what am I missing?

[Redhead]

Whipped up my first Hollandaise last weekend to serve over Eggs Benny, and was pleased to achieve the proper consistency but somehow the flavor was lacking. I used 1/2 cup cold salted butter, 2 free-range egg yolks and 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus a wee sprinkle of white pepper. It certainly had that citrus-y zing, but was otherwise, well, a bit blah..... I'm thinking, maybe it needs a drop of hot sauce? Maybe I should use unsalted butter and add my own salt to taste? Maybe I should use an artisanal "designer" butter? Any suggestions? Thanks, my Eggs Benny-loving partner thanks you, too. Redhead.

[CLEO]

You used almost half as much lemon juice as butter and I think that's too much. If I remember correctly, at the CIA they taught us 1/3 cup of butter per yolk, which is a little more than you used. I would cut the juice down to 1T to start, use a little hot sauce or cayenne, use some lemon zest if you want more lemon flavor, and always taste for salt even if your butter is salted. Also, I strongly recommend against using iodized table salt. Kosher or sea salt flavors your food so much better.

[GG Mora]

Yeah, the first thing that struck me was "WHAT? no SALT?". Anything that isn't properly salted will taste flat and boring.

[Redhead]

Thanks, will sprinkle some decent salt in the sauce (I assume the Kosher-style flakes will dissolve properly, right?) Will also increase butter slightly and add a little lemon zest and hot sauce. I KNEW you smarties would be able to help! Redhead.

[Laura]

Yes, I agree with the salt factor, but I would also explore the butter issue: I would use so-called "european" butter, like Plugra or President, which contain less water and are thus much more flavorful than the blah american butter. But that's just me.

PS: I like adding fresh dill in my hollandaise when I use it on smoked salmon benedict. Yummy!

[amysuehere]

!!!

Dill Holllandaise with smoked salmon...yum! Do you still put it on sourdough english muffins or some other medium. Is the rest of it standard?

That inspires me to do that this weekend...

[Cad]

I liked to add a T. of diced, peeled, seeded, and drained tomato. Also like lime and lime zest better than lemon.

[Tongo Rad]

Lime Hollandaise- I thought I was the only one who did that! :) Great with skirt steak, btw...

Also- I like to use an orange hollandaise with eggs benedict.

I agree with the posts re: salt and hot sauce, but I don't prefer tabasco. It can become too dominant. I like something that is more 'nondescript' to play more of a supporting role. But tabasco green in lime hollandaise is the way to go.

[Karl S.]

Sauce Maltaise (the orange variant of Sauce Hollandaise) is traditional with asparagus, if I recall correctly.

[reese]

try adding 1/4 tsp of coleman's dry mustard in addition to the pinch of cayenne. i also love to add fresh herbs - especially tarragon.

[Katherine A/O]

sprinkle some cayenne pepper or tabasco sauce in the butter

[Sharuf]

Here's a useful recipe - a cold, hollandaise-based sauce, Good on cold things, where you would use warm hollandaise if the item were hot (asparagus, crab, artichoke, etc.).

1. Make some hollandaise. Cool to room temp.
2. Mix in about half as much sour cream.
3. Add mustard to taste.

This keeps nicely in the fridge and stays spreadable.

[Stock Clerk]

I think your problem was using salted butter. Not only does it throw off the seasoning, salted butter is generally of inferior quality or older, and is salted to mask the taste. Sweet butter is better-tasting and a fresher product to start with.

Another poster suggested a European butter such as Plugra. A good suggestion -- it has a little more flavor and is also "drier", about 15-20% water, versus US butter which is ~25% water. The extra water just thins it out, and since you can always add water, it's better to start too thick. Clarified butter will make a very thick and satisfying texture, but some flavor will be lost.

James Peterson gives a basic emulsion of 1/2 cup of clarified butter per egg yolk, or 1 pound of whole butter for 6 yolks. For hollandaise, add ~2Tbsp lemon juice for 2 cups (500ml) of sauce, finished with salt and white pepper.

For an encyclopedic treatment of this, Peterson's "Sauces (2nd ed)" has a whole chapter on hot emulsified egg-yolk sauces. It gives a complete understanding of the butter/egg/air/water interplay, including how to fix broken emulsions and reconstitute sauces.

SC

[MarkinLA]

You've got a good base of ingredients there. I like to add a few drops of red wine vinegar and the lemon juice to the egg yolks with about 1 teaspoon of water to start. Best thing to do is use unsalted butter that has been melted but is not hot. The last two ingredients that should be added are the salt and the CAYENNE papper and you're done.