Recipe for Sauce hollandaise

Serves 4-6, depending on what it is to be served with.

2 egg yolks, free-range

4oz (110g) butter

1 dessertsp cold water

1 tsp lemon juice approx.

Serve with poached fish, eggs and vegetables

Put the egg yolks into a heavy stainless steel saucepan on a low heat, or in a bowl over hot water. Add the water and whisk thoroughly. Add the butter bit by bit, whisking all the time. As soon as one piece melts, add the next piece.

The mixture will gradually thicken, but if it shows signs of becoming too thick or slightly ‘scrambling’, remove from the heat immediately and add a little cold water if necessary.

Do not leave the pan or stop whisking until the sauce is made. Finally, add the lemon juice to taste. If the sauce is slow to thicken, it may be because you are excessively cautious and the heat is too low.

Increase the heat slightly and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens to coating consistency.

It is important to remember that if you are making hollandaise sauce in a saucepan directly over the heat, it should be possible to put your hand on the side of the saucepan at any stage. If the saucepan feels too hot for your hand, it is also too hot for the sauce.

Another good tip if you are making this sauce for the first time is to keep a bowl of cold water close by so you can plunge the bottom of the saucepan into it if it becomes too hot.

Keep the sauce warm until ready to serve, either in a bowl over hot but not boiling water, or in a thermos flask. Hollandaise sauce should not be reheated.

Leftover sauce may be used as an enrichment for cream sauces, or mashed potatoes, or to perk up a fish pie, etc.