It's Saturday afternoon. You're having some friends over to your apartment for dinner and you desperately want to make something fancy. But you're a broke college student whose greatest culinary achievement is combining ramen noodles with frozen vegetables. You open your fridge and there are some leftover egg yolks when you tried to experiment with egg whites. And a bottle of really bad white wine you got at the gas station down the street. Pointless, right? 

No! We've all been there, trying to make a nice dinner for friends or family and have absolutely no idea what to do or even how to begin. But now you might just have the solution; a sauce to cover up and transform your food. That cheap steak you bought at the Food Lion can now be turned into a tasty Instagram-worthy masterpiece. Those bland veggies can now be slathered with French flair thanks to this easy Bearnaise sauce recipe.

So pack away your microwavable meals and extra large mayonnaise bottle. Instead whip out your Toque Blanche (i.e. the tall white chef's hat) and make your own fancy Bearnaise sauce. 

Béarnaise Sauce

  • Prep Time:15 mins
  • Cook Time:10 mins
  • Total Time:25 mins
  • Servings:8
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 shallot minced
  • 3 tablespoons chopped dried tarragon
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter melted
tenderloin, sirloin, pepper, fillet, barbecue, pork, sauce, steak, meat, beef
Mireille Heidbreder

  • Step 1

    Chop and mince one whole shallot.

  • Step 2

    Pour the white wine vinegar, white wine, tarragon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper into a small saucepan. Then add the chopped shallot and combine all the ingredients. Bring the contents to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.

  • Step 3

    Melt 2 sticks of unsalted butter. Set butter aside.

    #SpoonTip: Make sure that if you are melting the butter in the microwave, cover the bowl with plastic wrap so the butter doesn't explode all over the place.

  • Step 4

    Pour mixture from saucepan into a blender, along with the 3 egg yolks and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Blend for about 30 seconds.

  • Step 5

    While continuing to blend, add the melted butter to the mixture. Blend everything together for an additional minute or so, until the mixture is thick and creamy.

  • Step 6

    Pour sauce into an ice cube tray to make individual cubes of Bearnaise sauce, and freeze overnight. Remember to thaw out your sauce for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

    You can also serve the sauce right away after blending. Regardless what you decide, bon appétit!

Inspired by my own recipe as well as Ina Garten.