Béarnaise sauce

Sometimes it is just impossible to resist a piece of beef served with the classic sauce Béarnaise. The sauce was probably first made by the chef Collinet and was served at the  opening of "Le Pavillon Henri IV" in 1836. Like Hollandaise sauce, Béarnaise sauce is an emulsion of butter in egg yolks. Such emulsions require some practice to prepare properly, so if you want to be on the safe side then use a bain marie. The prime dangers are curdling the egg yolk mixture through excessive heat, and separation of the emulsion by rushing the addition of clarified butter.

Ingredients:
150 g butter
4 egg yolks
1 shallot
5-6 white peppercors
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons fresh tarragon
lemon juice
salt, pepper

Chop shallot, crush pepercorns and cook it together with the vinegar until you have about a tablespoon. Sieve it and let it cool. Add water, egg yolks and whisk it together over low heat until it has emulsified. Then remove it from from the heat and stir in clarifed, molten butter. If you want your sauce less thick, reduce the amount of butter. Season with salt, pepper, a touch of lemon juice and freshly chopped tarragon.