Maltaise Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; slowly bring to a boil, skimming froth from surface. Carefully pour melted butter into a small bowl, holding back the milky sediment in the bottom of the pan. The clarified butter should be the color of light olive oil; let cool to room temperature.
• Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat; prepare an ice-water bath and set aside. Using a paring knife, remove zest from oranges in large strips, reserving oranges. Add zest to boiling water; cook until softened, about 1 minute. Drain and transfer to ice-water bath to cool. Drain and very finely chop; set aside.
• Squeeze juice from oranges into a small saucepan. Place saucepan over low heat and cook until juice is reduced by one third. Add zest to saucepan and remove from heat; set aside to cool.
• In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, mix vinegar with 1/4 cup cold water and crushed peppercorns. Place over medium-high heat until liquid is reduced by one third; remove from heat and let cool completely. Add egg yolks to cooled reduction and whisk to combine.
• Place saucepan on a heat diffuser over very low heat; whisk, making sure the whisk comes in contact with the bottom of the pan. Gradually increase heat, whisking so the sauce emulsifies progressively and becomes smooth and creamy, 8 to 10 minutes; do not let the temperature of the sauce rise above 150 degrees.
• Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in clarified butter in a slow, steady stream; season with salt. Stir in lemon and orange juice mixture. Line a chinois or fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth; strain mixture and discard solids. Use sauce immediately.

Steps:

• Put the yolks, water and lemon juice into the top of a double boiler, placing it over simmering water. Or you may improvise and put the mixture into a heat-proof mixing bowl, placing the bowl in a basin of barely simmering water.
• Start beating the mixture with a whisk until it is light colored and fluffy. Gradually add the butter, beating rapidly with the whisk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Beat in the orange juice and orange rind and remove from the heat.

Steps:

• In a blender or food processor put the egg yolks, the lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and the white pepper and with the motor running add the butter in a stream. Add the zest and the orange juice and blend the mixture well. Force the mixture through a fine sieve set over a small bowl and keep it warm, its surface covered with a buttered round of wax paper, set in a pan of warm water. Serve the sauce over asparagus.