Makes 300g

INGREDIENTS

  • 250g unsalted butter
  • 2 medium free-range egg yolks
  • 30ml double cream
  • 1 tbsp shallot purée (shallots cooked in white wine vinegar, reduced and puréed in a blender)
  • 20ml Cabernet Sauvignon red wine vinegar
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • Sea salt and cayenne pepper

 

METHOD

  1. Place the butter in a saucepan over a low heat to melt slowly and separate. Skim off the froth from the surface.
  2. Carefully pour the clear yellow butter into a jug, leaving the milky layer behind. Allow the clarified butter to cool slightly, until warm but not hot. Reserve the buttermilk too.
  3. Meanwhile, put the egg yolks, cream and shallot purée into a heatproof bowl and set over a bain-marie. Whisk until pale and thickened to create a thick sabayon.
  4. Remove from the heat and slowly ladle the warm clarified butter into the sabayon, whisking constantly as you do so.
  5. Once the hollandaise is fully emulsified, slowly add the buttermilk, whisking to incorporate (you won’t come across this in a classic recipe but we have found it helps to stop the sauce splitting).
  6. Season with the wine vinegar and salt, cayenne and lemon juice to taste.
  7. Pass through a chinois into a container and keep warm until ready to serve.