Sauce Flevolandaise
A recipe for the easiest possible sauce Hollandaise (Am I doing this SEO thing right?) It's like Hollandaise only slightly debased, if possible, and a bit artificial---but very clean and efficient. We avoid both curdling and unnecessary washing up by using the microwave and eschewing fancy acid reductions.
Ingredients for one greedy and one modest person:
- The yolks of two large eggs
- 90g butter not a "spreadable" butter
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 2 tsp lemon juice (21.v.2015: a bit tart. Try just one next time?)
- salt and black pepper
Some heat is needed but the secret is to use as little as possible. Put the butter into a jug and microwave in ten or twenty-second bursts until it's all just melted. Separate the eggs into, ideally, a small thick-bottomed pan, over a low heat. Add a pinch of salt and a goodly amount of black pepper. Measure the acid into the eggs: by the time I've done that I find the traces of white around the yolk are cooking. So take off the heat and start beating the yolk mixture with a wooden spoon. It should emulsify very easily at this low temperature; make sure nothing sticks. Now add the microwaved butter by small parts and beat in with the spoon. It doesn't matter if the butter is solidifying again, since there's spare heat in the pan base. If the sauce hasn't thickened enough, just ten seconds back on the heat (and stirring for about a minute) will help. And do the same before serving.