Can we talk about how I finally got my hollandaise to hold for service?

I was always in a panic during weekend brunch because my hollandaise would break or get grainy after sitting for maybe 20 minutes. I tried everything, even keeping the bowl over a barely warm water bath. Then this cook from a hotel in Portland told me to blend in a single ice cube right at the end, after I'd taken it off the heat. I was sure it would ruin it, but I gave it a shot last Sunday. I made my usual batch with 6 yolks and a pound of butter, and right when it was perfect, I dropped in one small ice cube and blended it smooth. That sauce held for the entire three hour service without splitting. It just sat there on the station, perfectly silky. I think the tiny bit of water from the melting cube stabilizes the emulsion in a way extra butter doesn't. Has anyone else tried this trick, or do you have a different method for a bulletproof hollandaise?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabeth_jackson13d ago

That Portland cook gave you a solid tip, but a full pound of butter to six yolks is your real problem. That ratio is way too heavy on the fat, which makes any emulsion unstable from the start. I use three yolks for a pound of butter, and it never feels like it's on the edge. The ice cube trick works because it adds the water your recipe is missing, but you're just fixing a mistake you built into the sauce.

owens.nancy13d ago

Three yolks for a whole pound of butter?

clark.kelly4d ago

Seems like a lot of worry over a sauce. People have been making hollandaise with that ratio for ages without it breaking every time. It might not be textbook, but it clearly works well enough.