Béarnaise sauce is a smooth, only 4 ingredients, fresh herb-flavoured sauce that is good with beef steaks, fish, chicken, and even egg dishes. I think it is wonderful poured over vegetables too, especially cauliflower and broccoli.
Béarnaise is regarded as a child sauce of hollandaise, one of the five French mother sauces. Both are unique in their own flavor profile, but have a shared base. Try the other 4 delicious foundation sauces Sauce Veloute, Béchamel, Espagnole, and Sauce Tomate.
Are Herbs Important For This Delicious Sauce
Herbs usually used in Bearnaise sauce are parsley and tarragon and it tastes fabulous if fresh herbs are used but you can use dried when they are not available.
Herbs are one of the most important ingredients in French cooking and they not only give a good flavor, but also help you cut down on the salt content of your dishes so that has to be a good thing.
You can grow your own herbs quite easily on the windowsill in your kitchen if you do not have a garden.
Of course many herbs grow mainly in the summer time so it is not always possible to have lots of fresh ones. However, they can be frozen when there is a glut of them and you can buy lots of dried herbs to have in your food cupboard as a stand by.
More Great French Sauces
- A simple French white sauce Bechamel Sauce that can transform dishes into something amazing.
- With this creamy Hollandaise Sauce recipe you will be able to create many fish, egg and asparagus dishes within minutes to French chef status.
- You may not be familiar with this one Red Wine Jus, but your chicken, veal and venison will never be better.
📖 Recipe
Bearnaise Sauce To Make Your Meal Special
Ingredients
- 4 oz butter
- 2 egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon chopped shallot or small onion
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon and parsley
Instructions
- Place the shallots with the wine vinegar into a small saucepan and simmer until it has reduced and you have one tablespoon left.
- Place a basin over a pan of hot water on a low heat creating a bain marie.
- Sieve the contents of the pan, the shallots and wine vinegar, into the basin.
- Add 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon butter to the wine vinegar.
- Add the beaten egg yolks and begin to whisk them with a small whisk until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Do not allow the sauce to boil, keep it simmering, then add the rest of the butter, whisking it in a little bit at a time until it has all been incorporated into the sauce.
- When the sauce is creamy, and smooth, add the tarragon and parsley, herbs, and taste it to see how much salt and pepper you need to add to it.
- Serve your sauce warm and not hot, because if heated too much, it will curdle and separate.
This is how you make a very ordinary dish into a special occasion!
Notes
- Bring all the ingredients to room temperature before making the recipe. This will enable the ingredients to mix more smoothly.
- Use fresh herbs if possible.
- When it comes to cooking the sauce, stay with it and keep it stirred; it will cook faster than you think.
Nutrition
Did you make this & like it, or not, let us know?!