Artichokes with Hollandaise

It’s a sea of butter and egg and the only way out is through the bottom

Such a classic way to eat an artichoke. The sauce is adapted slightly from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Start the sauce when the artichokes are almost done so that they are still warm when the sauce is ready to pour.

Artichokes with Hollandaise

• 2 artichokes cleaned, trimmed
• 1 lemon
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 stick butter
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt pepper
• 1-2 tbsp, finely chopped dill

Cut ¼” off the tops of artichokes and trim all the points off the leaves. Cut bottom stem so each artichoke can sit upright. Fill a pot large enough to hold the artichokes in one layer with water. Squeeze lemon in and add halves to water as well. Bring to a boil and cook on medium until a knife can pass through the base of each artichoke, about 20 minutes. When artichokes are cooked, place on a plate and carefully pry apart to expose the inside purple tipped leaves. Remove all purple tipped leaves and scrape away the entire choke over the heart. When done the artichoke should look like a flower petal with a bowl in the center. Spoon sauce equally into the center of each artichoke. To eat, pull leaves from the outside, dip into the center and scrape the soft tissue from the leaf. The leaves will get softer the closer to the heart.

For the sauce: Place egg yolks in a blender. Season with salt and pepper and add lemon juice. In a small sauce pan melt butter until it foams. Turn blender on to high and after a few seconds add hot butter in a slow drizzle while keeping the blender running. The sauce will thicken within a minute. Stir in dill when just ready to pour.