yellow sauce

Last week, after a busy day of work and then a swimming lesson for the boy, I drove home half thinking I would swing by a local restaurant for supper for the two of us but even that sounded tiring. And I didn’t really feel up to anything more than breakfast for supper. This got me thinking about eggs Benedict. (It’s my go to thing to order on the rare occasions when we go out for breakfast).

So I thought I would make some at home. Now I have something to admit here. I only recently learned how to poach eggs. Or rather, only recently started poaching eggs. I mean it isn’t like it is rocket science – egg, boiling water, etc. And I had in my kitchen a couple of egg poachers things which were giveaways on something. So after seeing image after image of delicious things with poached eggs perched on top of them, I decided to start poaching my own. And in the month or so since I’ve been poaching eggs, I’ve eaten a lot of them. Poached eggs on toast has replaced my egg salad on lazy supper nights.

So I made poached eggs. And hollandaise sauce. The hollandaise sauce is a cut down version of one I found in a brunch cookbook I’ve had for years. And it’s probably been years since I made hollandaise. My mum made it regularly, whipping it up effortlessly in the blender so unlike some things (ie pastry and poached eggs) I wasn’t trepidacious in trying it. And it was delicious. And yellower than I remembered. A function of the eggs I use now, free range ones that have a dark yellow, almost orange, yolk compared to the battery eggs we used to use. This version is tangy and lemony and lovely. It made lovely eggs Benedict and was delicious warmed up the next night and poured over roasted asparagus.

Blender Hollandaise

3 large egg yolks
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ c melted butter

In a blender, whiz the egg yolks, mustard and lemon juice for a minute. Meanwhile, melt the butter. Drizzle the butter in a continuous slow stream into the blender while blending until the butter is all incorporated.

Season with salt and pepper and more lemon juice if needed. The sauce will keep, covered, in the fridge for a day or two. Reheat it gently over a water bath to keep it from separating.