| 31 January 2010
Posted in
Entrees -
Meats
The first time Aileen tasted Béarnaise sauce was along-side her steak salad at the Westside Tavern. Ever since then, she's been begging me to teach her how to make it -- which brings the perfect opportunity for this blog post! Béarnaise is very similar to Hollandaise sauce in that it is butter suspended in egg yolks. The difference between the two is that Hollandaise consists of lemon juice while Béarnaise consists of a reduction of vinegar and Tarragon. They both create a beyond-satisfying taste on top of the protein of your choice.
Mis en Place:
The Chicken Marinade:
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken (about 3 to 4 thighs)
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp Tarragon, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Chives, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- salt + pepper to taste
- 4 egg yolks
- 8 oz butter
- 4 fl oz white wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp Chives, freshly chopped
- 1/2 tsp pepper corns, crushed
- 2 1/2 tbsp Tarragon, freshly chopped
- 1 oz shallots, chopped
Preparation
Step 1: The Chicken Marinade:
Create an herb oil marinade with your Tarragon, Parsley, Chives, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt + pepper, completely coating the chicken. Put this bowl in the fridge, and let it sit for two hours.
Step 2: The Béarnaise:
About 20 minutes before your chicken marinade's two hours is up, you can begin making your Béarnaise sauce. Normally, this sauce cannot be "saved for later" because of its nature, and restaurants who serve béarnaise usually make it hourly to keep fresh.
Combine shallots, Tarragon, Chives, vinegar, and pepper corn in a pot over medium-high heat and reduce to half (4 oz). Pour your contents through a strainer into a stainless steel bowl containing your egg yolks. Place the bowl over a double boiler, whisking continuously. (A double boiler is boiling water in a big pot, creating a hot bath for a smaller bowl in which your mixture sits.) As the eggs slowly cook while you're whisking, your mixture will thicken. You'll know that your mixture is thick enough when you can make a trail across the surface when your whisk is drawn away. (If your mixture looks like scrambled eggs, you've gone too far, and it's time to start over!)
Slowly add warm clarified butter into your egg yolk mixture, whipping continuously until it emulsifies into consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and put through a strainer. Do not attempt to keep this sauce warm by keeping on a low simmer because the sauce will break. Keep it warm in a Baine Marie for best results, or simply at room temperature.
Step 3: (Two Hours Later...) and Now, We Cook the Chicken!
Put a skillet on top of medium-high heat, and pan-sear each thigh until tender and juicy (approximately 3 minutes per side). Plate the chicken on top of Mexican Rice with homemade fire roasted salsa on the side. Ladle the Béarnaise sauce on top of the chicken upon serving, and garnish with chopped fresh Tarragon. Voila, dinner for two!
