Hollandaisse sauce.

Anybody have any tips on how to make it. Hubs loves eggs benedict and I know making the sauce is tricky. Do you absolutely HAVE to use a double boiler, or can you use two pans? How do you keep the egg yolk from cooking? Any help would be useful, thanks in advance!

Oooh I just buy it, to be honest.   

I never thought of that......never even seen it either. Is it just in the stores with the other sauces? Does it come in a jar?

there's this veil of confusion surrounding hollandaise sauce.  this may not be the traditional way but it's the way I've always made it and i like it.  my grandmother calls it blender hollandaise.

1- melt 1 stick butter and let cool while you do the rest... (1/4 lb, 1/2 cup) (not sure of the conversion here so double check)
2- separate 3 eggs and put yolks into blender with dash of white pepper (you can use black but the white blends in better so there's no black specks in your finished sauce) and a good dash (1 tablespoon?) lemon juice.  i find real lemon juice really does make a difference here (as opposed to bottled).
3- whizzz up the eggs, pepper, lemon until really frothy, a good 2 minutes.
4- then while whizzing... slowly poor in the melted butter.  the two will emulsify well.  

i use it right away. i'm not sure how this would handle reheating (your problem will be curdling, separating etc)

That sounds really easy meggles! Thanks! Now, since I've not had it in ages, how exactly do you serve it? How are the eggs cooked? The final dish I mean.

I always buy the little dry packets where you just add milk and butter. Taste just fine.

Never even thought to look for that.......I'll have to try it, thanks!

eggs benny is all about timings.   i take lots of shorcuts.

1- poached eggs.  i do mine in well greased muffins tins in the oven.  the muffin tins sits in a water bath. i'm really don't have the boiling water, spinning w/ vinegar trick down pat.

2- toasted english muffins... not sure what you'd use here

3- canadian bacon.  again not sure what you'd use here in the UK.  

4- hollandaise.

the trick is to get all four things together, hot and not overcooked (esp the poached egg).

you can also do it w/o bacon instead spinch- that's yummy too.

I can't do the poached egg in boiling water thingy either. How exactly do you do it in the oven? Muffin tins I understand, do you put them in a pan of water?

2- toasted english muffins... not sure what you'd use here

3- canadian bacon.  again not sure what you'd use here in the UK.  

Just muffins (the UK style) would be perfect and I think regular bacon as well. The bacon here is so meaty that I think it'd be fine.

God, you guys have me craving eggs benedict something fierce now. My mom would always make them on a Sunday and put a large slice of tomato on them. Yummy.

I use two pans one on top of the other to make it from stratch.. most days though I just buy Maille brand Hollandaise in a jar which is available in many UK supermarkets and has that tangy lemon taste I like.  I find some packets and jars not as good but you just have to try them and see which one you like best.

You can get a cheap poacher for the microwave or stove top at Wilkensons or any other discount place. 

English muffins here are just called.. muffins.  They are sold whole and you cut them in half.  Located near the crumpets in the bread aisle or at times at the end caps if on sale.

Instead of Canadian bacon buy lean back bacon or just the centre cut back bacon.  Or buy cheaper bacon and cut off the fatty bit leaving you the lean loin portion. 

now that i think about it danish bacon should work well.  it's already in rounds and not too too fatty.

the muffin thing is something i learned when i wanted to make fried eggs for lots of people (30+).  you take a muffin tin and grease them well with butter/olive oil/spray stuff.  i then crack an egg in each hole, sprinkling salt & pepper on top. 

then i put a shallow pan, pyrex pan, roasting pan, whatever's big enough, into the oven and very carefully fill it about 1/4 with BOILING water.  i then put the muffin pan into that water and close the door.  check every 2-4 minutes until they're a bit jiggly (if you let then go longer they turn into hocky puck eggs which are nice too for breakfast sandwiches).  take them out and scoop them onto the waiting toasted muffin.

my boyfriend has a poached egg pan, it's like a small shallow pan like this:  http://www.lakelandlimited.co.uk/product.aspx/!6047

but i've never used it. 

I make a low fat version of hollandaise and TBH, i know prefer it.

3/4 C non-fat yogurt
1/2 t dijon mustard
lemon juice (about a tablespoon)
heat in a sauce pan until hot
Add 3 egg yolks, beaten
and continuously stir with a whisk until thick. 

Hasn't failed me yet and I can eat eggs bene without guilt!

We use ham in ours,.

Meggles!!! I LOVE the idea of the muffin tins!  awesome.  I'll definitely be doing that next time i make it. 

i'll trade you the muffin pan idea for your low fat hollandaise.  i'm printing off the recipie as i type. 

hollandaise on steamed asparagus.  yummy. 

Lazy people's Sauce:

Melt butter with some cornstarch in a saucepan, low.

Add lemon juice, egg yolks, salt.  Keep on low for a minute or so, then turn off.

If there are any problems, add an icecube or very cold milk.  Whisk.

(I like a lot more lemon juice than a traditional recipe will handle.  The cornstarch helps.)