Angry at Hollandaise

I tried to make Eggs Benedict. I had already made some bacon and toasted the english muffin. I poached the eggs after finishing the sauce but when I was ready to spoon the sauce over the finished product, the sauce had broken!!!! When a sauce breaks it means the emulsion that was holding it together isn't doing it's job. This happened because I let the sauce get too hot. One way to save it is to put a teaspoon of lemon juice and a tablespoon of sauce in a new, clean pan. Whisk together then slowly add sauce while constantly whisking and this should re-emulsify it. This didn't work out for me. Then I tried a new, clean pan and whipped an egg yolk in it. Then I slowly added the sauce back to the pan while whisking continuously. This didn't really work for me either and I was starting to get frustrated and hungry so I decided to just fry up an egg for the english muffin and bacon.

I'm going to try this dish again on another weekend. When I first made the sauce it was creamy and delicious so I have hope for the next time. I suggest giving this sauce a try because it will build a lot of basic skills for other sauce making. There aren't too many ingredients and none are expensive. Just try to have some patience and get ready with a back up plan just in case.

Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon strained freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper or a pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, completely melt the butter over medium-low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside for 5 minutes.

2. Fill a different medium saucepan with a couple inches of water, and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

3. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the egg yolks and the cold water. Whisk until the yolks are light and frothy.

4. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly and vigorously until the yolks are thickened and light, about 3 to 4 minutes. (If the eggs begin to scramble or the mixture is cooking very quickly or gets too hot, remove the bowl from the heat and whisk to cool). Remove the eggs from the heat and whisk for 30 seconds to cool slightly.

5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set the bowl over the hot water. Slowly drizzle the butter into the eggs while whisking constantly. Whisk in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. (If the sauce is very thick add a few drops of warm water to adjust the consistency so it is creamy and light.)

6. Serve immediately or keep the hollandaise sauce in a small bowl set over warm, but not hot water, for about 30 minutes or in a warmed thermos for about an hour. (DON"T LET IT GET TOO HOT!!!)