Hollandaise Sauce
After a holiday in the snowy Austrian mountains here are the best dishes we enjoyed on our travels. With white asparagus in season I wanted to celebrate the classic and glossy Hollandaise sauce.
This week has been a break in routine with a short holiday to the beautiful snowy capped Austrian mountains. This was a planned trip for my daughter and I to celebrate school breaking up for the Easter holidays. We were lucky that upon arrival snow started falling (there hadn’t been snowfall for the past two weeks). And so, we took a fairly nail biting car journey, with poor visibility, from the airport and up the mountain as a carpet of pristine white snow fell all around. The still silence of the mountains separating us completely from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in London.
One of the great joys of being in the mountains, apart from fresh air and skiing, is the delights of mountain food. A hearty appetite as a result of the higher altitude, with plentiful fresh air and snow left us full of anticipation. Breakfasts were laden with local produce: beautiful mountain honey, cheeses and homemade yoghurts. Wonderful bread, pastries, strudels stuffed with nuts or poppyseeds and dusted in icing sugar, as well as hot chocolate served with freshly whipped cream.
As well as all the beautiful baking and rich dairy a highlight was the traditional Beef Consommé, which was nourishing and with a deep salty umami flavour. The crystal clear broth came served in delightful little copper pots, accompanied by freshly chopped chives, thinly shredded slaw, slices of pancake or hearty cheese filled dumplings. The latter tastes like you are eating the best grilled cheese sandwich, served in a hot bowl of broth. Total comfort and yes also elegant.
We also arrived during white asparagus season, these jumbo stems differ in flavour from the green varieties we more commonly eat in the UK. The white asparagus are covered with soil as they grow (so that the sunlight cannot reach it) preventing the production of chlorophyll. The result is a mild flavour which is earthy and slightly nutty with a hint of bitterness. To cook this speciality the white asparagus are trimmed, peeled of their tough outer layers, then steamed, or boiled until soft. We ate them in a glorious creamed soup with shavings of truffle (pictured below) which was sensational. They are more traditionally served with buttered new potatoes a little parsley and a perfect glossy hollandaise sauce. The latter dish (also pictured) was utterly perfect (with a very generous guiding of black pepper added by me).
With our own asparagus and new potato season looming a beautiful hollandaise is a wonderful recipe to know and cook; elevating poached eggs, steamed vegetables or a piece of fish into an irresistible meal. I am sharing this fool proof version, think of it as the buttery precursor to a good mayonnaise.
Recipe of the Week
Hollandaise Sauce
A homemade Hollandaise sauce is for me as delicious as it gets: served over eggs, with asparagus, or poached salmon. I could go on. It is a rich, buttery sauce freshened with the lightest touch of lemon. I love butter, as did my Mum, and there is a moment when the alchemy of cooking brings the eggs and butter together which delights me every time I make this. I have found you can pre-make hollandaise, if prepping for breakfast, just pour the finished sauce into a thermos to keep warm. It will be ready to serve as needed.
Recipe serves 6 people
3 small egg yolks
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
150g unsalted butter, melted
pinch of sea salt
1-2 grinds of fresh black pepper
1/2 lemon, juice only
Set a bowl over water and add the egg yolks, whisk for 2-3 mins to combine the yolks and when you set the colour slightly lighten add the white wine vinegar. Keep whisking for another 2 mins. Slowly add the melted butter, a little at a time and allowing the sauce to thicken slowly. Add all the butter and you should have a lovely thick silky sauce. Remove from the heat. Season with sea salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste and serve warm.