Sauce Citron (Hollandaise, Lemon Zest)

This 2nd generation mother sauce derives from Sauce Hollandaise. Serve with any type of fish, poultry, egg or pasta dish.

Sauce Hollandaise:
4 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter
¼ tsp. sea salt
⅛ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
⅛ tsp. white pepper, freshly ground

Sauce Citron (Lemon):
2 Tbsp. lemon zest, freshly grated

Make the Hollandaise:
Whisk together egg yolks and lemon juice until double/triple in volume.

Melt butter in small saucepan; let simmer or "cook" for 5 or more minutes or until it gives off a strong, nutty aroma.

Place yolk mixture in metal mixing bowl over another larger saucepan with water at the bottom and place over medium heat; ensure the bottom of the mixing bowl isn’t touching the water.

Very, very slowly, add butter to yolk mixture, continually whisking. Continue until all of the butter is added (this will take several minutes).

Add salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper and whisk again.

For the Lemon Sauce:
Fold in the lemon zest and whisk again.

Serve right away.

Makes about 1 cup.

If You Can't Serve Right Away:
Keep warm over a double boiler (ban-marie) until ready to serve. The best holding temperature is about 145°F (63°C). This temperature both discourages the growth of bacteria and is hot enough to keep the fat in your Hollandaise from solidifying. For both food safety and quality control, Hollandaise should not be held any longer than two hours.

How to Fix a Broken or Curdled Hollandaise:
If your Hollandaise breaks or curdles, it’s salvageable. Pass through a chinois (fine mesh seive) to strain out any curdled portions of the Hollandaise. Make sure to keep the whole strained portion of the sauce warm. Add 1 yolk plus 1 Tbsp. of warm water to a new stainless-steel mixing bowl and whisk in your strained Hollandaise. Voila!

Consistency Issues:
If your sauce is too thick, you can stream in a little warm water (a drop at a time) to loosen it up.

If your sauce is too thin, take a clean bowl and set it over a small saucepan with gently simmering water. Whisk an egg yolk with a drop of cold water in this clean bowl. Very slowly add your sauce, drop by drop (like you did with the melted butter), into the egg mixture and continue stirring until it thickens up to your desired consistency.

If you start getting some slight clumps, you may be able to fix the sauce by quickly moving the bowl over to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Then you can vigorously whisk the clumps out. If it's not working, it's best to start over.