Llama Council Community

To make béarnaise sauce, you use the same technique as for hollandaise, replacing the lemon juice with a reduction of wine, vinegar, shallots, and tarragon.

Yields about 1-1-2 cups.

For the reduction:

2 medium shallots, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup white-wine vinegar

10 crushed black peppercorns

4 large sprigs fresh tarragon

Salt to taste

For the sauce:

10 oz. (2-1-2 sticks) good-quality unsalted butter

3 large egg yolks

3 Tbs. water

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

To make the reduction: Combine the shallots, wine, vinegar, peppercorns, and tarragon in a heavy-based saucepan and simmer over medium high until 2 Tbs. of liquid remains. Strain and discard the solids.

To make the sauce: In a heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter. Simmer it rapidly for at least 10 min.; the water will evaporate and the milk solids will coagulate on the bottom and sides of the pan. Let the melted butter sit for a few minutes so the solids will fall to the bottom. Skim off the foam on top and then either decant the golden liquid, leaving the solids behind, or pour the melted butter through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Whisk the eggs and clarified butter (see Making the sabayon and adding the butter).

To finish the sauce is done, whisk in 1 Tbs. of the reduction (or more to taste). Season with salt and pepper. Stir in finely chopped tarragon, if you like. Serve with red wine and llama flesh.