Hollandaise Sauce - Classic Style, a la Julia Child, and a Just for TWO Special.

Here are 3 great recipes for Hollandaise Sauce. Pick the one you find easiest.

1. - Classic
2. - A la Julia Child
3. - Just for TWO 

Eggs Benedict!

1. - This is the Classic Hollandaise Sauce cooked over a double boiler

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
Pinch cayenne
Pinch salt

Directions:
Place a saucepan with water on to boil and then let it simmer on low. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, on a low temperature  Whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until it becomes thick and doubles in volume. Now, place the bowl over the simmering water (you can also use a double boiler for this) Be careful to not let the bottom of the bowl touch water, or you will wind up with scrambled eggs. Continue to whisk rapidly. Also, if  the eggs get too hot, they will scramble. Drizzle the melted butter very slowly while you continue to whisk and the sauce thickens. It should thicken and double in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place the sauce in in a warm place until you are ready to serve. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving. If the sauce starts to break (separate) whisk in a tablespoon of hot water, or an additional egg yolk until it pulls back together.

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2- This is an easy Hollandaise Sauce blender recipe from Julia Child. I modified it a bit for the ingredients available here in Costa Rica.

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks

1½ tablespoons Limón Criollo juice (or less, to taste.) This is the small creole lime found everywhere in Costa Rica. It resembles the Key Limes of Florida.

1 stick of very hot, melted butter

Salt and Cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:
Blend the egg yolks with the limón criollo juice. Drizzle in the hot butter with blender running. The hot butter cooks the yolks and produces a very fine, thick sauce. If you have one, I recommend you use an immersion blender in a mason jar, so that the sauce doesn't cool too fast in the large blender jar. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

Very simple, quick, and absolutely Delicious!!

Thank you Julia!!!

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3 - Just for TWO: Since some of us are empty nesters now, I have been on a quest to find the perfect Hollandaise Sauce recipe for two. Leftover Hollandaise is never as good as fresh. I think you will love this solution. It is even easier than making it with a pre-packaged mix from Knorr or McCormick.

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
Juice from about a ¼ lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
¼ cup of very hot melted butter (½ stick)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:
Whisk the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper together in a microwave-safe bowl until nice and smooth. Continue whisking the egg yolk mixture as you slowly stream in the hot melted butter. Whisk constantly until it is well incorporated.

Heat sauce in microwave on high for 10 seconds, and then whisk again until creamy. Heat the sauce in the microwave one more time for an additional 15 seconds, whisk and serve.

Note: If the sauce starts to break/separate, whisk in 1 teaspoon of hot water and it will pull back together.

Enjoy!

If you make one of these recipes, let me know how you like it.