Classic Steakhouse Béarnaise

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The tarragon-scented cousin of hollandaise, and the single best thing you can spoon over a seared ribeye. A sharp white wine and vinegar reduction with shallot, tarragon stems and cracked pepper gets strained, then whisked into egg yolks over gentle heat before warm butter is streamed in drop by drop. The result is thick, glossy and just barely pourable, with a bright anise finish that cuts steakhouse richness. Done by hand in about 25 minutes, with a rescue plan if it breaks.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or unoaked Chardonnay)
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 medium shallot, minced fine
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, cracked
• 1/2 bunch fresh tarragon (stems for the reduction, leaves reserved)
• 2 sprigs fresh chervil or flat-leaf parsley, optional

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter

• 2 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, chopped (reserved from above)
• 1 tbsp fresh chives or chervil, chopped
• 3/4 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice, optional

Instructions

1. Pull the leaves off the tarragon and set aside 2 tablespoons chopped leaves for finishing. Keep the stems — they carry most of the perfume and go into the reduction.
2. Combine the white wine, white wine vinegar, minced shallot, cracked peppercorns, tarragon stems and optional chervil sprigs in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until reduced to about 2 tablespoons of syrupy liquid. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on the solids, then discard them. You should have 2 tablespoons; if you have less, top up with a splash of water.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat until fully liquid but not sizzling, then let it sit off the heat for 3 to 4 minutes. It should feel warm, not hot — around 130 to 140°F. Butter hotter than that will scramble the yolks. If you want a firmer, more classic sauce, spoon off and discard the white milky foam and leave the watery layer behind in the pan.
4. Bring 1 inch of water to a bare simmer in a saucepan — you want lazy bubbles, not a rolling boil. Set a medium stainless or glass bowl on top; it should not touch the water.
5. Off the heat, whisk the egg yolks with the cold water and the strained reduction in the bowl for 30 seconds until pale and slightly frothy. Set the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly, scraping the sides and bottom, for 2 to 4 minutes. The yolks will thicken to the point where the whisk leaves visible ribbons and you can see the bottom of the bowl for a moment. That's about 160°F. Lift the bowl off the heat any time it feels like it's tightening too fast.
6. Take the bowl off the heat and set it on a folded towel to keep it steady. Whisking hard and constantly, add the warm butter a few drops at a time for the first 2 tablespoons. Once the sauce looks thick and unified, you can move to a thin, steady stream. Adding butter too quickly is the number one cause of a broken béarnaise — take a full 3 to 4 minutes.
7. When all the butter is in, the sauce should coat the back of a spoon and hold a soft ribbon. If it's thicker than you want, whisk in warm water 1 teaspoon at a time.
8. Whisk in the reserved chopped tarragon, the chives, salt, cayenne and the lemon juice if using. Taste — it should be assertively tangy and herbal, since it gets diluted by whatever it's spooned over. Serve within 30 minutes, spooned over grilled steak, roasted asparagus, poached eggs or seared fish.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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