If you’re a fan of Hollandaise sauce, your life is about to change… you ready for this?
I love my immersion blender. I use it for soups, sauces, and pretty much all condiments and dips. (I use and love THIS– my whole family now owns it too!) Once I discovered immersion blender mayo, my life glowed just a little bit more (see my recipe for MAYO HERE and RANCH HERE). Who wants to fuss with long elaborate recipes when you can just plop a wand in a jar and have mayo magically made in five seconds flat? Not I.
Enter Hollandaise sauce. While I’d tried many versions in the past, I hadn’t quite found a recipe I felt I’d nailed. But then, I smartened up. It suddenly occurred to me that I had not tried with my immersion blender yet. The thing had saved my life so many times before… how could I not have tried it with Hollandaise yet??! So I did.
My first attempt was a bit disappointing, I’ll admit. I attacked it the same way I had other sauces… add everything to a jar, blend, boom. This, my friends, was a sad story with Mr. Hollandaise. It was way too thin… like eggy lemon sauce. Egh. So I researched and read and thought. It then occurred to me that Hollandaise needs slow warming- which is why the traditional method calls for double-boiling (not my fave method- I have no patience for that!). So I tried again, but this time, I super slowly added in the melted butter as I blended… warming the egg very slowly with each little magical whip of my immersion blender. Voila!! I couldn’t believe it, it totally worked! Since, I’ve gone Hollandaise crazy… making it whenever I have the chance. While most recipes call for a stick of butter, I opt for 5 tbsp or so…. it makes the perfect balance of flavor and serves up four perfect little servings just right for me. Tried and true now about fifteen times. 😉
But, it is not just the easiest and simplest Hollandaise I have here… it’s a world of Benedict fun too! The classic Benny is oh so good, but sometimes it’s fun to play too… 🙂
I’ve included several tips for you below to help you make the perfect benny for you! Pick your base, pick your toppings (avo and greens, yes please), and pile that sauce high. These bennies are bound to make you and your belly very very happy.
Below we have a zucchini-base benny to the left, and English muffins to the right… one is vegetarian, one is piled high with ham.
Here’s another fun twist… instead of the classic Canadian bacon or ham, try out some andouille!
This Hollandaise is not just great for bennies… try it over asparagus, on fish, or drizzled over some potatoes too… the world is your delicious lemony oyster. 🙂
For Hollandaise Sauce…
makes four servings
INGREDIENTS
1 egg yolk
1 tsp water
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
teeny pinch of salt
teeny pinch of cayenne pepper
5 tbsp butter or ghee
*you’ll need an immersion blender for this… I use and love THIS one!
DIRECTIONS
In a small jar- just wide enough to fit the immersion blender in it-
add the egg yolk, lemon juice, water, salt, and cayenne
(The size of the jar is important for emulsification)
Melt butter
Place the immersion blender in the jar
As you begin blending, slowly pour the melted butter into the egg mixture…
it should begin thickening right before your eyes 🙂
Important: the butter must be slowly added while the immersion blender is going in order for it to emulsify and thicken properly- I’ve tried adding it all together before blending, as I do with mayo- it does not work… pour slowly and blend at the same time! 🙂
Also, make sure you have that water in there… believe it or not, 1 little tsp actually makes a difference on the texture!
That’s it!
Blend until you’ve achieved your desired texture… the more you blend, the thicker it’ll get
Taste and adjust salt and lemon, or pepper levels if needed
Bada boom! Hollandaise made!!
Serve immediately for best results 🙂
Tips For Benedicts…
While the traditional is a fave- I also really enjoy playing around with variations!
First, choose your base:
You can playful by using veggies as the base, sich as squash, mushrooms, or even potato rounds… or you can keep it on the classic bready size with some English muffins, sourdough slices, or a gluten-free bread of your liking
My favorite non-bread option to date is zucchini… I’ve used both larger round squash and thick yellow and green zukes- just make sure the width is nice and thick!
I usually season up and toast my base a little…
You can either drizzle a little olive oil, salt and pepper over the tops, then bake your base for approx 5 minutes, until softened, or simply pan-toast it over the stove
Tip: if cooking ham or veggies in a pan, crisp up the base in the same pan when done… your base will pick up all those tasty flavors!
Traditionally, Canadian bacon is used… but I tend to use whatever I have around!
Below is some Applegate Black Forest ham… I’ve also used andouille sausage for a unique twist, bacon, and prosciutto too! Have fun with it!!
To poach your eggs…
Heat some water in a pot over medium-high heat
Add a few tablespoons apple cider vinegar to the water (or other light vinegar you like)
It’s best to add one egg at time by first cracking the egg into a little bowl or cup to slide it into the water smoothly… it helps keep the egg together
Here’s a tip: using a spoon, swirl the water so it whirlpools before adding the egg… turns out poached eggs like to chill in hurricanes
When the eggs swirls in the water, it keeps the white nice and snug around the yolk, so you don’t end up with a poached amoeba instead 😉
Once the water is lightly boiling, swirl swirl swirl and gently drop the eggs in… I usually bring the bowl right to the water and let the eggs carefully slide in so there’s no rough splashage 🙂
Let them cook for five minutes or so, depending on how soft you like your yolks, continuing to swirl the water ever so often to keep those eggs happy and snug
When done (you can test with your finger by pressing on the yolk), scoop them out with a spoon and set them on a plate or cutting board until serving
While it’s not traditional, I love adding wilted green sot my bennies!
Right after I pour the melted butter into the Hollandaise sauce, I plop some greens in the same pot so they slowly wilt into the remaining butter… no need for heat if the pot is still hot 🙂
To plate, I serve up my base, then top it with the meat
Place whatever other goodness you want on there… I always add avo, it’s my fave!
Top with the poached eggs…
Then scoop some sauce over the tops
I think a sprinkle of paprika is always pretty…
And sometimes some microgreens or sliced green onions too 🙂
Here’s one with the squash base…
With some wilted green, avo, and microgreens (I believe these guys were arugula sprouts)
This guy has a sourdough base, some avo, andouille sausage, and some green onions
Whatever you choose… enjoy!!
Have a favorite benny? I’d love to hear about it- leave a comment below letting us know! 🙂
