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Easy Béarnaise Sauce

Course Sauce
Cuisine French
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 3 sprigs tarragon leaves stripped and roughly chopped
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature

Instructions

  1. Place the white wine vinegar, minced shallot, and half the chopped tarragon in a saucepan. Heat this on a medium-low flame for 5 minutes, until the shallots are sweated and the liquid has reduced by about half. Strain out the solids, replace the concentrated liquid back into the saucepan, and let it cool to room temperature.
  2. Add the egg yolks, water, vegetable oil, and salt into the saucepan with the concentrated vinegar, and heat over a medium-low flame while whisking vigorously. The goal here is to whisk the eggs to a fluffy, custard-like consistency, which should take around 3-5 minutes. Once you see it start to steam, be extra-vigilant: if you overcook the sauce, it’ll turn into scrambled eggs. Remove the pan from the heat if needed to better control the temperature.
  3. When the sauce thickens and reaches the desired consistency, add in the butter and the rest of the chopped tarragon, and whisk until the butter dissolves.
  4. The sauce is best served immediately, but can hold well for 30 minutes to an hour. It’s classically paired with steak, but can go well with fish or even grilled vegetables!