Bernaise Sauce

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This is one of my FAVORITE sauces!  Bernaise sauce is a French tarragon butter sauce, and is just divine on top of a grilled filet mignon with a little scattered pile of lump crabmeat!  It would also be very nice on a piece of grilled tuna... or over Eggs Benedict instead of a Hollandaise sauce.



Bernaise Sauce

1/4 cup         white wine vinegar
1/4 cup         dry white wine
1 Tbsp          minced shallots
1 Tbsp          dried tarragon 
To taste         salt and pepper
3 large           egg yolks
2 sticks          unsalted butter, melted in saucepan
2 Tbsp           minced fresh tarragon

PREPARATION:

• In a small saucepan combine vinegar, wine, shallots, and dried tarragon and simmer over moderate heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons of liquid.
• Cool and strain through a fine sieve.
• In the top of double boiler or a heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they become thick and sticky.
• Whisk in the reduced vinegar mixture and pepper.
• Place the pan or bowl over a saucepan of simmering, not boiling, water.
• Whisk until mixture is warm, about 2 minutes. (If mixture appears to become lumpy, dip pan immediately in a bowl of ice water to cool, whisk until smooth and then continue recipe.)
• The yolk mixture has thickened enough when you can see the bottom of the pan between strokes and mixture forms a light cream on the wires of the whip.
• While whisking the yolk mixture gradually pour in the melted butter, a tablespoon or so at a time whisking thoroughly to incorporate before adding more butter.
• As the mixture begins to thicken and become creamy, the butter can be added more rapidly.
• Do not add the milk solids at the bottom of the melted butter.
• Season the sauce to taste with chopped tarragon, salt and pepper.
• To keep the sauce warm, set the pan or bowl in lukewarm water or in a thermos.

Yield: 1 to 1 1/2 cups sauce