Bearnaise Sauce By Commanders Palace Recipes

Steps:

• Tie the peppercorns and 2 tarragon sprigs in cheesecloth and secure with butcher's twine to make a sachet. In a medium saucepan, combine the vinegar, shallots and sachet and simmer over low heat until the liquid is evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool; discard the sachet.
• In a medium bowl set over a double boiler, whisk together the egg yolks and lemon juice. Heat, whisking constantly, until the yolks are pale and slightly thickened. Slowly ladle in the clarified butter, whisking constantly, until the sauce is emulsified. If sauce looks like it is getting too thick, add water by the tablespoon until you reach the desired consistency. Remove from the heat and add the chopped tarragon and 1 tablespoon of the shallots. Season with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Place butter in a medium glass bowl, and melt in the microwave, about 30 seconds on High. Whisk in the onion, white wine vinegar, egg yolks, heavy cream and lemon juice. Season with tarragon, parsley, salt, mustard powder and cayenne pepper; mix well.
• Return to the microwave, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes, or until thickened, stirring until smooth every 20 to 30 seconds.

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon white wine with tarragon in small skillet over medium-low heat until wine evaporates.
• Combine yolks, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon white wine, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne in top of double boiler over gently simmering water.
• Whip together with whisk until sauce begins to thicken.
• Add butter in slow steady stream, whisking constantly until sauce is creamy and thick.
• Stir tarragon mixture into sauce and blend well.
• Season with salt if desired.

Steps:

• Put the egg yolks in a mini food processor and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne, then add the vinegar.
• Finely chop the tarragon stalks and leaves separately. Melt the butter in a pan then add the chopped tarragon stalks and bring it to a simmer - the butter needs to be hot so that it will cook the egg yolks slightly.
• Turn the processor on and add the hot melted butter slowly while the processor is running. Once all the butter has been added and the mixture is smooth and thick, pour it into a bowl and stir through the tarragon leaves. Season and serve with steak.

Steps:

• Put the vinegar, shallots, black pepper and 1 tablespoon of tarragon leaves into a small saucepan, and set over a medium flame. Bring just to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer until there are only a few tablespoons of liquid left, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.
• Fill a small saucepan with an inch or two of water, and set over medium-high heat to boil.
• Put the cooled shallot-and-tarragon mixture into a metal mixing bowl along with a tablespoon of water and the egg yolks, then whisk to combine.
• Turn the heat under the saucepan of water down to its lowest setting, and put the bowl on top of the pan, making sure that it does not touch the water directly. Continue to whisk the yolks until they thicken, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. You should just about double the volume of the yolks.
• Slowly beat in the butter, a tablespoon or two at a time, whisking slowly to combine and emulsify. Remove the bowl from the pan occasionally, so as not to overcook the eggs, and taste the sauce. Season with salt. If the flavor is not sharp enough, add a splash of lemon juice. If the sauce is too thick, stir in a splash of hot water. Add the remaining teaspoon of tarragon leaves, and serve.

Steps:

• Place 1 cup tarragon, shallots, and peppercorns in a saucepan. Pour in white wine vinegar, white wine, and water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer; stir. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer and reduce liquid to about 3 tablespoons, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer, pressing vegetable/herb mixture to extract as much liquid as possible.
• Place 1/4 cup chopped tarragon and capers in a mortar. Mash with a pestle about 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon cold butter. Mash and pound with pestle until ingredients are thoroughly combined in a solid mass. Transfer to a piece of plastic wrap; wrap and chill.
• Place egg yolks in a stainless steel (flameproof) mixing bowl; add 3 tablespoons tarragon/shallot reduction; whisk together. Add cold butter cubes. Place bowl over low to medium heat whisking constantly until sauce thickens, as you hold the bowl with a kitchen towel. After butter melts continue whisking; mixture will turn a lighter yellow color after 8 to 10 minutes. When mixture is nice and thick, reduce heat to low and stir in compound butter broken into chunks. Continue whisking. Remove from heat. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.