A lot of people are frightened of sauces like Hollandaise, but there is really no reason to be. If the sauce looks like it is starting to split, take it away from the heat and whisk an ice cube into it – it will come back together and be as tasty as ever!
Ingredients
- 1 Bunch Asparagus
- 125g/4½oz Very Cold Butter, cubed
- 1 small teaspoon White Wine Vinegar
- 2 Egg Yolks
- Juice of Half a Lemon
- Pinch of Salt
Preparation Method
- Snap the asparagus by holding each end of the spear and allowing it to snap wherever it will naturally. (Keep the woody ends, boil them up in a pint and a half of vegetable or chicken stock with an onion and a stick of celery for about 20 minutes and then blitz with a hand blender to make delicious asparagus soup! Add lots of black pepper and serve with crusty bread.)
- Drop the asparagus spears into boiling water and boil on a rolling boil for no more than 6 minutes and keep warm
- Put the egg yolks and wine vinegar in a bowl over a pan of steaming, (not boiling!), water and whisk until smooth
- Add a cube of butter at a time and whisk until melted. Keep whisking until you have added all of the butter.
- When the sauce is smooth, slightly thick and has taken all of the butter, add the lemon juice and salt and watch it change both colour and texture!
- Taste the sauce and add more lemon juice or salt to your taste
- Dip the asparagus spears into the hollandaise sauce and enjoy!