I know we all have one – that one recipe or food we just can’t quite nail. For a lot of us, it’s rice – and for me, for the longest time, it was cous cous.
Top of my list, sadly, is hollandaise made from scratch. I know the theory. I have the skill. But after countless attempts, I simply just cannot make it happen.
Enter blender hollandaise (yes purists will scoff but diligaf). I go along the lines of this one from Serious Eats because 100% of the time, it works every time.
Trotted out every time I have a crowd to feed for breakfast, or if it’s a special occasion, I love it so much I could cry. Only don’t accidentally use salted butter or you’ll cry for a very different reason. About the only thing I insist on unsalted for, truly.
A few years ago I was reading Appetites, by Anthony Bourdain. I noted down his hollandaise recipe because dammit, I still wanted to know how and thought if anyone could get me over the finish line, it would be the great man himself. I thought of that recipe when I heard he died, but I’ve never gotten around to giving it a crack. What I did do that night was take a big swig from a bottle of good port and shovelled an impressive wedge of blue cheese in my mouth, as they were his favourites. I was so sad he’d never again know the joy.
You, however, will always know the joy of a foolproof hollandaise. Go forth in butter.
A reliable hollandaise that’s made in two minutes flat and very unlikely to split. Perfect!
Scale
Ingredients
1 organic egg yolk
1 small splash of water
1 quick squeeze of lemon juice
115 grams good-quality unsalted butter
1 pinch flaky sea salt
Instructions
Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan.
In a narrow cup or the beaker that comes with your stick blender, add the yolk, water, and lemon juice.
Whiz the yolk with your stick blender until it starts to go light and foamy.
Keep the blender running while you gently drizzle in the melted butter. It should amalgamate and start to get thick.
Keep going until you’ve used all the butter. Taste for seasoning, but remember salt doesn’t incorporate into fat very well and it’s easy to think there’s not enough and you go overboard. Gently does it!
