Béarnaise sauce
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Béarnaise sauce (Template:IPAc-en;<ref>Template:Cite OED</ref> {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) is a sauce made of clarified butter, egg yolk, white wine vinegar, and herbs. It is regarded as a "child" of hollandaise sauce.<ref>The family is sometimes referred to as "mayonnaise sauces" as they are, like mayonnaise, based on the emulsion of an oil in egg water.</ref> The difference is in the flavoring: béarnaise uses shallot, black pepper, and tarragon, while hollandaise uses white pepper or a pinch of cayenne.
The sauce's name derives from the province of Béarn, France. It is a traditional sauce for steak.<ref name=autogenerated1>Escoffier: 89</ref><ref>Julia Child</ref>
History
According to a common explanation, the sauce was accidentally invented by the chef Jean-Louis-François Collinet, the accidental inventor of puffed potatoes (pommes de terre soufflées),<ref name=etym>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and served at the 1836 opening of Le Pavillon Henri IV, a restaurant at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The restaurant was in the former residence of Henry IV of France, a gourmet himself, who was from Béarn.<ref name="etym" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Although the sauce is a French invention, it became popular in the Nordic countries in the late 20th century, where it forms a major part of local steak cuisine with steaks and fries,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and is occasionally used there as topping on pizza, whether as part of the pizza or as a cold dressing put on afterwards.
Preparation
As with hollandaise, there are several methods for preparing béarnaise.
The most common method of preparation uses a bain-marie, whisking to a temperature of Template:Convert,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> where a reduction of vinegar is used to acidify the yolks.
Auguste Escoffier and other sources<ref name="autogenerated1" /> call for a reduction of wine, vinegar, shallots, fresh chervil, fresh tarragon, and crushed peppercorns (later strained out).<ref>Cookwise, pp.304–5</ref>
Alternatively, the flavorings may be added to a finished hollandaise (without lemon juice). Joy of Cooking<ref name="autogenerated2">Joy of Cooking p.359</ref> describes a blender preparation with the same ingredients.
Derivatives
- Sauce Choron (also called béarnaise tomatée) uses tomato purée instead of herbs.<ref name=autogenerated2 /><ref>Escoffier: 90</ref> It is named after Alexandre Étienne Choron.
- Sauce Foyot (also called Valois) is béarnaise with meat glaze (glace de viande) added.<ref name=autogenerated2 /><ref>Escoffier: 91</ref>
- Sauce Paloise uses mint instead of tarragon.<ref>Escoffier: 141</ref>
See also
References
- Sources
External links
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- Béarnaise sauce from the British Good Food TV channel