Kitchen Magic // Hollandaise

Firstly, if you're tired or not in the best of moods, I wouldn't recommend trying this! It takes patience, as I found earlier this week!

I'd never made a hollandaise sauce before but, in a moment of whimsy, and upon realising I had far more eggs than I would normally eat on my own this week and some of the season's asparagus, I thought it would be a good idea. Don't get me wrong - it was a beautiful dinner and I felt a real sense of achievement, but it wasn't the easiest of tasks. 

If you want to give it a go you will need:

* 3 eggs yolks

* 150 grams of butter

* 2 tbsp cold water

* The juice of half a lemon

* Salt and pepper to taste

* A heavy-bottomed pan, a whisk and a strong arm.

There were countless recipes and methods online, but I found this one to be the most simple, without the use of a food processor. 

1. Place the egg yolks, butter and water into a heavy-bottomed pan and heat gently, whisking constantly. Do not allow the pan to overheat (the sides should be lukewarm). 

2. When the butter has melted, whisk harder and turn the heat up slightly. Do not allow the mixture to steam. If it does, take it off the heat and continue whisking furiously. 

(AT THIS POINT MY MIXTURE SPLIT - YOU CAN READ THE REMEDY FOR THIS AT THE BOTTOM**)

3. Once you are happy with the thickness of your sauce, remove from the heat, squeeze in the lemon juice, taste and season to your preference. 

4. Enjoy poured over poached eggs / asparagus / salmon. 

** If you find your mixture has split or separated, you can fix this by putting a broken egg yolk into the bottom of a new pan, without heat and slowly, slowly, very slowly whisking the split mixture into it. It will combine into a thicker, glossy sauce. 

Note: If your mixture turns into scrambled eggs, it cannot be saved. This means you have had your pan too hot and you will have to enjoy scrambled eggs on toast instead!