Bearnaise Sauce - Episode 1

To make the reduction, finely chop the shallot. Add it to a saucepan with white wine vinegar, parsley stalks, tarragon stalks, and white peppercorns.

Boil the reduction for about 5 minutes until almost all the liquid has evaporated.

While the reduction is cooking, melt the butter in a separate saucepan and keep the temperature around 60 degrees Celsius.

Strain the finished reduction through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to extract all the liquid flavor.

In a saucepan or bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, water, and 2.5 tablespoons of the bearnaise reduction over low heat.

Continue whisking the egg mixture over low heat until it begins to thicken, bubble, and reaches about 60 degrees Celsius.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Slowly start adding the warm, melted butter, first drop by drop, then in a thin, steady stream, while whisking constantly to emulsify the sauce.

Finely chop the fresh tarragon, chervil, and parsley.

Add the chopped herbs to the finished sauce and stir to combine.

Season the sauce with salt and cayenne pepper, then stir and taste.

If your sauce has split, start by heating a small amount of cream in a clean saucepan until it just comes to a boil.

Begin adding the split sauce, one spoonful at a time, into the warm cream while whisking vigorously.

Continue adding the split sauce slowly and whisking until the sauce comes back together into a smooth emulsion.