HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

This is one of my all time favourite sauces, apart from Dad's Thanksgiving gravy (coming soon). This is a smooth, rich and tangy sauce that is excellent on corned beef, pickled pork or even eggs. (This is your benedict if you like poached eggs on an English muffin with ham, bacon, or sausage.)

This particular recipe is a slight variation from the basic recipe in the New Zealand classic cookbook, Edmonds Cookbook, which is a must for anyone living here on a long-term basis. This particular sauce doesn't scream out "Kiwi" to me, but there are heaps of uniquely "down under" combinations in the Edmonds book...some of which I may try out later and post for your amusement...or, enjoyment.

I do have to say that I will, of course, eventually post a pavlova recipe. A pav is the Kiwi dessert made of meringue and covered in whipped cream and fruit that the Kiwis accuse the Aussies of taking credit for and vise versa. Personally, I prefer the American Angel Food Cake which uses darn near as many egg whites and has every bit as much sweet goodness to offer.

Back to my sauce...this recipe makes about a cup of sauce (more or less), which is usually just right for 4 servings or so.

INGREDIENTS:

50 G (approx 1.5-2 oz) Butter - best to use once clarified (melted & milk solids removed)

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

2 Egg Yolks

1/3 Cup Cream

3/4 Tsp Dry Mustard Powder

Salt & Pepper to Taste

(Cayenne is good too, but be careful if you try this one...a little goes a long way!)

DIRECTIONS:

The first thing I do is to measure out everything in advance and combine the cream and egg yolks so I am not in a rush to get it all mixed once heat is applied...I don't want lemony scrambled eggs, I want a smooth and completely emulsified tangy sauce!

In a small saucepan, I warm the clarified butter over a low heat.

Once the butter is ready, I add in the lemon juice, cream and egg yolks and I stir constantly until the sauce begins to thicken up nicely. One key here, is to get it to the right consistency WITHOUT boiling. If it boils, it will curdle and separate - not a nice thing! Never overheat hollandaise, it's better to take the time and thicken it up very slowly.

Once the sauce is thickened to the right consistency, remove it from the heat and add the mustard powder and salt & pepper. You may cut the mustard down to only 1/2 tsp if you like, but I like to taste it just slightly.

Once everything is well combined, it is ready to serve. This sauce is best served warm (not hot).