The Essential James Beard Cookbook (75 page)

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Authors: James Beard

BOOK: The Essential James Beard Cookbook

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Editor: Hollandaise is another essential French sauce that is the base for many useful adaptations.

3 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper or dash of Tabasco

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, at room temperature

To make your sauce by hand: Use a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan (enameled cast iron is ideal) or the top of a double boiler over, but not touching, hot (not boiling) water. If you use the saucepan, make the sauce over low heat.

Put the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne in the saucepan over low heat. Beat with a wire whisk or electric hand mixer until the eggs and seasonings are well blended and the egg yolks have thickened to the consistency of heavy cream. You should be able to see the bottom of the pan between strokes. The egg yolks must be beaten until thick or they will not absorb and hold the butter properly and the sauce will not thicken as it should.

Have the pieces of butter at your elbow, on a plate. The minute the yolks are thick, drop one piece of butter into them and stir rapidly with a wire whisk in a circular motion until it has been absorbed by the eggs. Then stir in another piece. Continue to add the butter, one piece at a time, each time stirring until absorbed, until you have the sauce of a consistency that coats the whisk heavily.

If by chance the sauce seems to be thickening too fast, add a tablespoon of cold water to slow the process. If it is too thin, you are adding the butter too quickly.

As soon as the sauce is made, remove it from the heat and serve. If you have to keep it for a short time, cover the pan with plastic wrap and let it stand over warm water, then reheat slowly over the water until the sauce is just warm. Hollandaise should not be served hot. However, it is my contention that hollandaise should be served freshly made and not reheated, because there is always the chance that the warm sauce will develop harmful bacteria.

Should your sauce break and curdle because you have let it get too hot, try stirring a tablespoon of hot water or an ice cube into it, which often works. If it doesn’t, start over again with a clean saucepan and 1 egg yolk. Beat the yolk until thick and then gradually beat in the curdled sauce until it smooths out (this will be the same technique you use for saving a curdled mayonnaise).

To make the sauce in a blender: Combine 4 egg yolks, the lemon juice, and the salt and cayenne in the container of a blender and turn the blender on and off, at high or “blend” setting, just to blend the mixture. Heat the butter until it is bubbling and very hot, but not browned. Remove the insert from the lid of the blender, turn the blender to high or “blend,” and pour in the hot butter in a thin, continuous stream—do not pour too fast or the eggs will not absorb the butter properly. When the butter is absorbed and the sauce thick, turn off the machine. If the sauce should start curdling while you are adding the butter, pour 1 tablespoon hot water into the sauce while the blender is running.

To make the sauce in a food processor: Add 4 large egg yolks, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, the salt, and the cayenne to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade for 3 seconds. Heat the butter until it is bubbling and very hot, but not browned. With the machine running, pour the bubbling melted butter through the feed tube in a thin, continuous stream. It is essential that the butter be bubbling hot or the sauce will not thicken. If the sauce curdles, add 1 tablespoon hot water.

VARIATIONS

ANCHOVY HOLLANDAISE:
Add 4 very finely drained and chopped anchovy fillets, 1 finely chopped or crushed garlic clove, and 1 teaspoon drained capers to the finished Hollandaise Sauce. Serve with steak.

BÉARNAISE SAUCE:
Put ¼ cup white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots or scallion, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon, and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley into a small saucepan; bring to a boil and boil until it is reduced practically into a glaze—about 2 tablespoons. Cool. Press this through a strainer into the beaten egg yolks before starting to add the butter. Serve with steak, broiled liver, chicken, or fish.

MUSTARD HOLLANDAISE:
Add 1 or 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard or 1 teaspoon hot dry English mustard to the seasonings for the Hollandaise. Serve with steak or fish.

SAUCE MOUSSELINE:
Fold 1 cup whipped cream [
Editor: That is, ½ cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
] into the finished Hollandaise Sauce. Serve with fish, asparagus, or soufflés.

TOMATO HOLLANDAISE
(Sauce Choron): Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of your favorite cooked tomato sauce to Béarnaise Sauce. Serve with steaks, fish, or chicken.

MAYONNAISE

MAKES 1¾ CUPS

I learned to make mayonnaise when I was just about tall enough to reach the work table. I would stir the mixture constantly with a fork in a deep plate to the slow drip, drip, drip from the oil cruet. Later, I made the sauce with a Dover beater (now called a rotary beater), which was to me a much trickier process than the slow, sure, productive technique of the fork. Nowadays I prefer to make mayonnaise in a food processor or blender. Or if a large quantity is needed, I use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. I start the mixer on a rather slow speed and increase it as the mixture becomes a true emulsion.

I have always, since childhood, preferred mayonnaise made with a good, fruity olive oil. However, I’m aware that many people do not like the definite flavor of olive oil and would rather have a bland and tasteless oil, in which case I consider peanut oil as good as anything else. [
Editor: Do not use extra-virgin olive oil to make mayonnaise; its acidity will curdle the mayonnaise. A good quality gold-colored oil (formerly called pure) is fine, but it makes a thicker sauce than one cut with peanut oil.
]

In making mayonnaise, it is imperative that both the eggs and the oil be at room temperature. Often mayonnaise made with refrigerated eggs and warm oil will curdle. Here, then, is the traditional way of making mayonnaise by hand.

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon dry or Dijon mustard

1½ cups good, fruity olive oil or half olive oil and half peanut oil [
Editor: You can also use canola or vegetable oil.
]

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or white wine vinegar

Dash of Tabasco (optional)

Put the egg yolks, salt, and mustard into a mixing bowl and beat with a wire whisk or electric hand mixer until the yolks become thick and sticky. Begin adding the oil, drop by drop, beating it in thoroughly after each addition.

Should the mayonnaise start to curdle, this indicates you have added the oil too fast. Start over again in a clean bowl. Beat 1 egg yolk until thick, then beat in a few drops of oil. Gradually beat in the curdled mixture until it becomes thick and smooth. This method also works if the mayonnaise does not thicken properly but remains liquid.

As the mayonnaise begins to thicken, stiffen, and become light in color, which means it has emulsified, you can beat in the remaining oil more rapidly, but be sure it is all incorporated before adding the next batch. When thick and stiff, beat in the lemon juice, which gives a nice tartness and thins it out slightly. Season with Tabasco, if using. Transfer the mayonnaise to a bowl or jar, cover, and refrigerate. You can safely keep it for a week under refrigeration.

To make the mayonnaise in a blender: Put 2 whole eggs, the salt, mustard, and lemon juice in the blender and mix for just 5 seconds at the blend or high setting, then, with the machine still running, remove the cover insert and dribble the oil in very slowly until the mayonnaise starts to thicken, then add the rest of the oil more quickly. The minute the mayonnaise is thick and smooth, stop blending.

To make the mayonnaise in a food processor: Use the metal blade of the processor when making mayonnaise. Put 1 whole large egg and 1 large egg yolk, the salt, mustard, and lemon juice in the processor bowl and process until blended, about 2 or 3 seconds. Then, with the machine still running, gradually pour in the oil, as you would if using the blender, until thick and smooth, and then stop processing.

VARIATIONS

GREEN MAYONNAISE:
Purée ½ cup very dry raw spinach leaves in a food processor or blender. Combine with 1½ cups Mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, 2 tablespoons finely cut fresh chives, and 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill or tarragon. Serve with poached fish.

RÉMOULADE SAUCE:
Mix 1 finely chopped hard-boiled egg, 2 tablespoons finely chopped capers, 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, and 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice into 1½ cups Mayonnaise. Check for seasoning and add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Or omit the salt and add ½ teaspoon anchovy paste. Serve with poached fish.

MUSTARD MAYONNAISE:
To each cup of mayonnaise add 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Serve with poached or grilled fish or chicken.

TARTAR SAUCE:
Mix 1½ tablespoons finely chopped onion, 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill pickle, 2 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, and 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice into 1 cup Mayonnaise. Serve with grilled, fried, or poached fish.

AÏOLI

MAKES ABOUT 3¼ CUPS

Aioli, the headily garlicky Provençal mayonnaise, does something wonderful for bland fish fillets. The traditional way to make aïoli is to pound the garlic and egg yolks in a huge mortar with a pestle and then gradually work in the olive oil is very stiff. I find this arduous, time consuming process can be considerably simplified if you use a food processor or blender.

Editor: Aïoli adds punch to sandwiches and is often served as a dip for crudités. Aïoli is served with other foods (salt cod, shrimp, new potatoes, and more) to make a meal called
le grand aïoli
, described
here
. In Provence, many community organizations still organize
grande aïoli
feasts as fundraisers much in the same way that American churches give bake sales or chicken barbecues.

4 large garlic cloves

3 large egg yolks

2½ cups fruity olive oil, but not extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Kosher salt

Put the garlic and egg yolks in a blender and blend at high speed until combined, about 30 seconds. If you use a food processor, process the garlic and yolks for about 2 to 3 seconds, just until blended. With the machine running, very slowly pour in the olive oil, in a thick trickle at first until the mayonnaise starts to thicken, then more rapidly. When stiff, add the lemon juice and season with the salt.

TAPENADE MAYONNAISE

MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS

Editor: Tapenade is a classic recipe of Provence, and this mayonnaise-based recipe is different from the version that is currently popular, which resembles an olive purée. In Beard’s recipe, the key ingredient is capers (
tapéno
in Provençal dialect), not olives. As he spent many summers in St. Remy-de-Provence, and also with Julia and Paul Child in their home near Grasse, he knew his tapenade. Use it like Aïoli (opposite), a dip, spread, or sauce for grilled fish, chicken, and lamb.