Bearnaise Sauce

By Katherine

So much lovely butter

I typically make Greg steak and potatoes each year for his birthday and try to do something slightly different each time.  It can be a challenge to come up with new ideas since we met in 1999. Surf and turf. Done. Steak and frites. Done. Balsamic reduction. Coffee rub. Peppercorn rub. Grilled. Broiled. Seared. Done and done and done…

This year I was inspired by this recipe which called for topping pan-seared steaks with bearnaise sauce and serving them with shoestring fries. I didn’t want to make shoestring fries because we don’t have a fryer and I find frying messy and a bit tricky to time. So I went with twice-baked potatoes. Instead of pan-searing, Greg grilled an aged rib eye and a New York strip. The original recipe called for tarragon, but I wanted something milder. Also, I didn’t have tarragon. It also called for less lemon juice, so adjust to your taste.

Béarnaise Sauce

• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup sliced shallots (I used a mandolin)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 tablespoons
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon
• Salt/pepper to taste

Boil wine, vinegar, shallots, and a tablespoon of the thyme in a small heavy saucepan until liquid is reduced to two tablespoons. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve set into a medium metal bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids. Whisk yolks into vinegar mixture, then set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until yolks have thickened slightly (do not scramble). Whisk in butter one tablespoon at a time, adding each piece before previous one has melted completely. Remove from heat and whisk in lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve steaks with sauce. Dust with remaining thyme.