À la hollandaise is the name given to a dish of poached eggs, boiled vegetables (artichokes, asparagus, chard, coliflower), or poached fish, with hollandaise sauce either poured over or served seperately. It also describes dishes of Dutch cuisine, such as eggs in cups à la hollandaise.
Hollandaise sauce au suprême (from Carême's recipe) Put 6 egg yolks in a saucepan; add about 2 ounces of butter, a pinch of salt and pepper, a pinch of grated nutmeg, 1 tablespoon allemande sauce and 1 tablespoon chicken stock. Stir this sauce over very low heat and, as it begins to thicken, gradually add a further 4 ounces butter, taking care to stir constantly. Just before serving, pour in a little good plain vinegar and add a generous knob of butter.
Hollandaise is an emulsion sauce. An emulsion is formed when one substance is suspended in another, in this case, melted or clarified butter is suspended in partially cooked egg yolks. It is fragile because it is not a true mixture. Opinions differ on whether to use melted butter or clarified butter. Some chefs feel that clarified butter results in a more stable sauce, whereas melted butter, because of the presence of milk solids, gives the sauce a more buttery taste.
Hollandaise should not be held directly in a steam table or other area where it could become hot enough to 'break'. Hold (store) it warm over a warm (not boiling) water bath. To avoid problems, make sure not to keep the hollandaise directly or indirectly on a burner. Store in the back, in a 'warm only' place or on the warming shelf.
