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French Sauces 101: Video Recipe of 3-Minute Hollandaise Sauce in a Blender
After watching MasterChef Australia judge Gary Meighan effortlessly make Hollandaise sauce in a recent Master Class, I thought to myself - 'Wow, that looks simple!' I was so excited that the minute the show finished, I went into the kitchen to try out Gary's recipe for Hollandaise, a rich tangy sauce often paired with steamed vegetables, which has pride of place as one of the five 'mother sauces' in classical French cuisine.
However, this burst of inspiration was followed by a harrowing 10 minutes of manic whisking, by the end of which my kitchen counter was a butter-splattered crime scene. And at the end of it, the sauce wasn't even of the right consistency! Now I'm sure Gary has years of experience making this sauce, but my first time following his recipe was an absolute disaster.
As I went to bed that night, I realized that even if I had got the recipe right, Hollandaise is a very delicate sauce that's best when fresh and consumed within 4 hours of making it. But if you want Hollandaise - even though it's an artery choker - on your table often, it would mean making fresh batches quite often. Surely then, there had to be an easier, no-fuss way of making this sauce.
And there was! Now Hollandaise sauce is basically an emulsion of egg yolk and butter. Since I had mastered the art of making homemade mayonnaise - also an emulsion - using a blender, I thought why not try the same with Hollandaise?
So in the morning, I sat down with my plan of action. First thing was to do away with the meddlesome whisk. I also followed some simple thumb rules I've devised in my previous recipes.
For 1 yolk, use 60 grams of butter
For 2 egg yolks, use 1 tbsp. of liquid (vinegar / wine / lemon juice / water)
I tried my 3-minute Hollandaise recipe using the liquidizer option on my Kenwood Chef Titanium food processor, as well as with my Kenwood Hand blender HB 724. In both instances, the consistency of the sauce was just perfect. And it was mess-free!
See the recipe for my Hollandaise sauce here. You can serve it with your favourite greens, vegetables, fish, chicken or even on crepes stuffed with spinach (my personal favourite).