The sauce was likely first made by the chef Collinet, the inventor of puffed potatoes (pommes de terres soufflés) and served at the 1836 opening of "Le Pavillon Henri IV", a restaurant at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, not far from Paris. Evidence for this is reinforced by the fact that the restaurant was named for King Henry IV, a gourmet himself, who was born in the former province of Béarn.
Like Hollandaise sauce, Bearnaise sauce is an emulsion of butter in egg yolks. The difference is only in their flavoring: Bearnaise uses a glaze of vinegar and tarragon, while Hollandaise uses lemon juice. Such emulsions require some practice to prepare properly. The prime dangers are curdling the egg yolk mixture through excessive heat, and separation of the emulsion through too-rapid addition of the butter.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
- 1 shallot
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup (75 - 100 g) 3 - 4 oz melted butter (warm but not hot)
- salt and cayenne pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped tarragon
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Preparation
- Put the vinegars and finely chopped shallot and herbs in a small saucepan; simmer until reduced to 1 tablespoon. This is the flavorful glaze. Strain and set aside to cool.
- Add the egg yolks and whisk until the Sabayon stage (Ribbon Stage) with a balloon whisk.
- Place the bowl over a pan of hot water and continue whisking. Gradually add the softened butter, whisking until the sauce thickens and all the butter has been added.
Season and serve.
- Note: To find the right temperature to emulsify the egg mixture and the butter, the bowl should be just hot enough so that you can still touch it. If you cannot hold the bowl it is too hot. Be forewarned that this trick may not always work depending on a multitude of conditions
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