Everything's better with butter

I never met a poached egg that wouldn't benefit from a close relationship with a good Hollandaise Sauce.  Notice I said a 'good' Hollandaise Sauce.  Like other events in our lives, your first experience with Hollandaise Sauce will determine your future.  If you meet a good one, you'll love Hollandaise forever and always.  And, you'll be very picky about your sauce.  On the other hand, if your first experience is with a weak, gloppy, grainy mess you'll never ever be willing to give it a second chance.

Thankfully, my first experience with Hollandaise Sauce was a magical moment.  I've always loved the tart of lemon and who doesn't love BUTTER!!!

As has been mentioned before, I didn't grow up here.  I grew up in the tropics.  As a result of that happy experience, there are many different foods that I never have the opportunity to try or learn to like as a child.

Example:  We didn't have apples (except for very rare occasions when my parents were willing to part with more than their usual percentage of income  allotted to the food budget).  So, I never learned to like them.  Probably because by the time apples got to where we lived, they were well past their 'best by' date.  Or, more likely, because my first recollection of eating an apple was a disaster.

It was at a expatriate potluck gathering and around the time of my sixth birthday.  Mom splurged and bought some apples.  I remember it was evening (after dark) and we were eating 'al fresco'.  All of us kids were running around in the dark having a blast.  The women had done a beautiful job of decorating the tables and stringing lights in the trees.  It was one of those magical evenings.  Mom called me over and explained to me how special these apples were and told me how lucky I was to get this chance to eat one.  Expecting something really spectacular, I sank my teeth into it.  As I pulled the apple away from my mouth instead of leaving a piece of sweetness in my mouth, that apple took my first loose tooth.  Of course it hurt.  And, of course I started screaming and crying hysterically because my apple was all bloody.  It was like a Halloween horror movie.  Is it any wonder I'm still not a huge fan of apples, applesauce, apple juice, most anything with apple it in?

But, I digress.  Back to Hollandaise Sauce.  Sorry, got all distracted there for a minute.  You'll forgive me when you see that it helps to illustrate the point that your first experience is very important.  And, mine with Hollandaise Sauce was superb!

Post college days, at my first job, someone mentioned artichokes.  I didn't recall ever tasting one.  Being adventurous, I decided to try artichokes.  Having no idea what to do with them, I dragged out my trusty cookbook and looked them up.  (You notice and laugh that I mention my cookbook - singular - THOSE days are gone!)  Thankfully, my then lonely cookbook is very well illustrated.  The photo that went with the artichoke instructions was lovely.  And the sauce it mentioned to serve with the artichokes looked intriguing.  I decided to give it a whirl.  Thankfully, I didn't have any mishaps while preparing it and that sauce turned out blissfully delicious.  I've had a love thing goin' on with Hollandaise Sauce ever since.  But, boy am I picky!!!

Here's the recipe for the best Hollandaise Sauce I ever ate.  Keep in mind, this sauce is very finicky.  Too slow and it never comes together.  Too fast and you have scrambled eggs.  Patience, my friends, patience and luck.  And good eating!

Hollandaise Sauce

INGREDIENTS

3	large egg yolks
1	T lemon juice
½	c firm butter*

Directions

1. In a 1½ quart saucepan, vigorously stir egg yolks and lemon juice with wire whisk. Add 1/4 cup of the butter. Heat over very low heat, stirring constantly with wire whisk, until butter is melted.

2. Add remaining 1/4 cup butter. Continue stirring vigorously until butter is melted and sauce is thickened. (Be sure butter melts slowly so eggs have time to cook and thicken sauce without curdling.) If the sauce curdles (mixture begins to separate), add about 1 tablespoon boiling water and beat vigorously with wire whisk or hand beater until it's smooth.

3. Serve immediately. Store covered in refrigerator. To serve refrigerated sauce, reheat over very low heat and stir in a small amount of water.

Makes about ¾ cup sauce.

Saucy Affair

Sometimes the recipe is just too much work and you decide to dump the hard part and keep the interesting part.  That’s what happened the other day.  I have this recipe for Broccoli Timbales with Lemon Sauce.  The hard part is the broccoli timbales.  The interesting part is the lemon sauce.  I’d never made this recipe because fussing with ramekins over a broccoli dish just didn’t seem worth it.

The reason I’d never tried to make just the lemon sauce was because the person who wrote up the recipe didn’t see fit to separate the ingredients and instructions for the lemon sauce from the rest of the recipe – bless her pea-pickin’ little heart, if she has one.  (Note to self:  When you write recipes, separate the parts!)  My copy of this recipe (printed from the Internet) has my pencil scribbles all over it, noting which parts are timbale parts and which parts are lemon sauce parts – not just in the Ingredients list, but also in the Directions.

I give you now the extracted recipe (both ingredients and directions) for Lemon Sauce.  I served it draped and drizzled over steamed broccoli (grins!) or asparagus or green beans or any other thing that needs a little ‘ZING’.  I’ve made it a Lime Sauce and an Orange Sauce on occasion, too.  Hope you try it.  It’s really yummy.  In fact, I may have been know to sit and very slowly dip one of my tiny little Espresso spoons into a small bowl of Lemon Sauce and gently lick the spoon clean repeatedly until the bowl was empty, leaving the steamed broccoli sitting on my plate growing cold and rubbery in neglect.

Lemon Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1	cup heavy whipping cream
2	T lemon juice
1	T all-purpose flour
1	T butter, softened
1	t chicken bouillon granules
¼	t salt
⅛	t white pepper
3	T snipped fresh dill

Directions

1.     In a small bowl, combine heavy whipping cream and lemon juice; let stand for one hour at room temperature.

2.     Combine flour and butter to form a paste.  In a large heavy saucepan, combine the lemon-cream mixture, chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Whisk butter mixture into cream mixture until smooth and mixture is thickened.  Add snipped dill.  Remove from heat.

3.     Spoon sauce under, around, or over whatever you like and garnish with dill sprigs, if desired.

Note:  If you decide to switch it up by changing to lime or orange juice, you may want to swap herbs – like going with cilantro for the lime juice or going with thyme for the orange juice.

Um…if you really, really, REALLY want the Broccoli Timbales recipe I might be coerced into posting it here someday.