Martha Stewarts Bearnaise Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring vinegar, shallot, and tarragon to a boil. Cook until liquid has reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 4 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Rinse out saucepan, and return strained vinegar.
• Add egg yolks and 2 tablespoons water. Cook, over low heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and forms thick ribbons, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Whisk in butter, if sauce gets too hot (it starts to bubble), remove from heat and whisk in a piece of butter. Continue whisking until all the butter has been absorbed, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately transfer to a bowl to stop further cooking. Season with salt. Use immediately, or keep warm over a pan of barely simmering water.

Steps:

• Combine vinegar, wine, shallots, black pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon in a small saucepan.
• Cook over medium heat until reduced to 1 tablespoon, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of water to reduced vinegar mixture.
• Whisk until thick and pale, about 2 minutes.
• Set pan over moderately low heat and continue to whisk at reasonable speed reaching all over bottom and insides of pan, where eggs tend to overcook.
• To moderate heat, frequently move pan off burner for a few seconds, then back on.
• As they cook, the eggs will become frothy and increase in volume, then thicken.
• When the bottom of the pan is visible in the streaks left by the whisk and the eggs are thick and smooth, remove from heat.
• By spoonfuls, add soft butter, whisking constantly to incorporate each addition.
• As the emulsion forms, add butter in slightly larger amounts, always whisking until fully absorbed.
• Continue incorporating butter until sauce has thickened to consistency desired.
• Season with salt, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped tarragon and, if desired, pepper.
• Add a few droplets of lemon juice if necessary.

Steps:

• Place the white wine, white-wine vinegar, shallots, 2 tablespoons tarragon, and the peppercorns in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, and cook until it is reduced to about 2 tablespoons.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Keep warm until ready to use.
• Place egg yolks in a copper or stainless-steel bowl that fits snugly in the top of a medium saucepan. Fill the saucepan with 2 inches of water, and bring to a boil. Whisk the yolks, off the heat, until they become pale. Add wine mixture and salt, and whisk until well combined. Gradually add 1/4 cup boiling water, whisking constantly. Place bowl over the medium saucepan of boiling water; reduce heat to lowest setting. Whisking constantly, cook until whisk leaves a trail in the mixture and sauce begins to hold its shape. Remove from heat.
• Pour the warm, melted butter into a glass measuring cup. Add to yolk mixture, one drop at a time, whisking constantly. After you have added about a tablespoon of the melted butter, you can begin to add it slightly faster, still whisking constantly. Still, be careful: If the butter is added too quickly, the emulsion will be too thin or will "break" (separate).
• Once all of the butter has been added, adjust the seasoning with the lemon juice, and stir in the remaining tarragon. If the bearnaise becomes too thick, you may thin it with a little additional lemon juice or water. If not serving immediately, place pan of sauce over a pot of simmering water that has been removed from heat, or in a warm spot on the stove for up to 1 hour. Alternatively, you may store for up to 3 hours in a clean thermos that has been warmed with hot but not boiling water.

Steps:

• Combine vinegar, wine, shallots and tarragon in 2-cup glass measure.
• Microwave, uncovered, at high for 1 to 2 minutes or until boiling.
• Set aside to cool to lukewarm.
• Strain mixture into small bowl; whisk in egg yolks.
• In 2-cup glass measure or similar microwaveable bowl, melt butter at medium 40 to 60 seconds.
• Do not boil.
• Whisk egg yolk mixture into butter.
• Microwave, uncovered, at medium 30 to 90 seconds.
• Whisk every 15 seconds.
• Cook only until mixture starts to thicken.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.