Béarnaise sauce

Béarnaise sauce. The basic sauce is smooth; chopped herbs were added to finish it.

Béarnaise sauce is a classic sauce made from clarified butter, egg yolks, and herbs. It is considered a 'child' of the mother Hollandaise sauce, which is one of the five mother sauces in French haute cuisine. The primary difference between Béarnaise and Hollandaise is the flavoring: Béarnaise uses shallot, chervil, peppercorn, and tarragon, while Hollandaise uses lemon juice as its main acidic component.

Béarnaise sauce with tarragon garnish

The sauce has a smooth, creamy texture and a light yellow color, making it a rich complement to many dishes, especially steak.

History

Although a similar recipe was published as early as 1818, Béarnaise sauce is traditionally attributed to chef Collinet. He is believed to have first created the sauce in the late 19th century. The name "Béarnaise" is often associated with the region of Béarn, a historical province in southwestern France. Some sources suggest that the sauce was named in honor of Henri IV of France, who was born in the Béarn region, and for whom the restaurant where the sauce was first popularized was named.

Preparation

A Béarnaise sauce is simply clarified butter, an egg yolk, a shallot, and a little tarragon vinegar. It takes years of practice for the result to be perfect.

Béarnaise sauce is typically prepared using a Bain-marie method. The sauce starts with a reduction of vinegar and other flavorings, which is used to acidify the egg yolks. Once the egg yolks are emulsified with clarified butter, the final sauce is enriched with herbs such as tarragon and chervil.

Alternative methods for preparation include adding flavorings directly to a finished Hollandaise sauce (which is made without lemon juice), though the classic reduction method is preferred for a more authentic flavor.

Derivatives of Béarnaise Sauce

Béarnaise sauce has inspired several variations, each with its own unique twist:

• Sauce Choron is a variation of Béarnaise without tarragon or chervil, but with the addition of tomato purée. It is named after Alexandre Étienne Choron, a French culinary figure.
• Sauce Foyot (also known as Sauce Valois) is Béarnaise with the addition of meat glaze (a concentrated reduction of meat stock), giving the sauce a richer, more savory profile.
  • Sauce Colbert is an enhanced version of Sauce Foyot, featuring reduced white wine as an additional ingredient.
• Sauce Paloise is a version of Béarnaise that substitutes mint for tarragon, offering a fresh, aromatic variation of the classic flavor.

Mis-association

Béarnaise sauce is often incorrectly referred to as Bernaise sauce, which is mistakenly linked to the Swiss city of Bern, although there is no connection between the city and the sauce’s origins.

While some speculate that the sauce is named after the Béarn region of France, where Henri IV was born, this is not entirely accurate. The sauce is believed to have been named for the restaurant where it was first popularized, with some culinary historians suggesting that the name honors the royal connection rather than the geographical one.

A la Béarnaise

Some recipes use the term "à la Béarnaise" even when they are not accompanied by Béarnaise sauce. This practice stems from the historical connection to the Béarn region, further adding to the confusion surrounding the sauce’s name.

See Also

• Sauce Hollandaise
• Tarragon
• Chervil
• List of French sauces
• Steak sauces

External links

• Saveur - Béarnaise Sauce Recipe
• French Moments - Béarnaise Sauce History and Ingredients
• Cooking Channel - Béarnaise Sauce Recipe