On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1202

this base (left).As more oil is incorporated,
the mixture becomes thicker and the oil is
broken into smaller droplets (center).When
the sauce is done, as much as 80% of its
volume is occupied by oil droplets, and its
consistencyissemisolid(right).
HotEggSauces:
HollandaiseandBéarnaise

Theclassichoteggsauces,hollandaiseand
béarnaiseandtheiroffspring,areeggemulsifiedbuttersauces.Theyaresimilarto
mayonnaiseinmanyrespects,butofcourse
mustbehottokeepthebutterfluid.Their
dispersedfatphaseisusuallyasmaller
proportionofthesauce,betweenone-andtwothirdsofthetotalvolume.Hollandaiseand
béarnaisediffermainlyinseasoning;
hollandaiseisonlylightlyflavoredwith
lemonjuice,whilebéarnaisebeginswithatart
andaromaticreductionofwine,vinegar,


tarragon,andshallots.
Heat Thickens — and Curdles The
consistencyofthehoteggsaucesdependson
two factors. One is the form and amount in
whichthebutterisincorporated.Wholebutter
isabout15%water,soeachadditionthinsthe
eggphaseandthesauceasawhole;clarified
butter is all butterfat, and thickens the sauce
with every addition. The second influence on
consistency is the degree to which the egg

yolks are heated and thickened. The main
trickinmakingthesesaucesistoheattheegg
yolks enough to obtain the desired thickness,
but not so much that the yolk proteins
coagulateintolittlesolidcurdsandthesauce
separates. This happens at around 160–
170ºF/70–77ºC.Adoubleboilerorasaucepan
restingabovealargerpanofsimmeringwater
willguaranteeagentleandevenheatbutwill
also slow the cooking; for this reason, some
cooks prefer the riskier but rapid direct heat