Béarnaise is a sauce similar to hollandaise. It constitutes a reduction of white wine, shallots, tarragon, peppercorns, vinegar and seasoning, which is then emulsified with clarified butter.

The Reduction: Chop the shallots in a small blender. Clean the sides and process again; then place in a saucepan. In a mortar, crush the peppercorns and add to the shallots. Chop the tarragon leaves without the stems. Add to the saucepan. Cover with the white wine and white wine vinegar. Stir and bring mixture to a boil on medium heat. Warm the clarified butter in another saucepan. Reduce the Béarnaise reduction until it is almost dry. Let it cool.

The Sabayon: Place the egg yolks in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of cold water, and add the cool reduction to the yolk and water mixture. Whisk the ingredients and place in a Bain Marie over medium heat. Whisk with an electric whisk, on speed 2, for at least 5 minutes. Make sure that the water is simmering, not boiling. Keep whisking the ingredients over the heat until the sabayon gets thick. This is what we call the ribbon stage.

When this stage is reached, remove from heat. Slowly add the clarified butter, whisking continuously. Chop the parsley, or chervil if available. Season with salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper to taste. Serve the Béarnaise sauce immediately in a saucer with your favorite grilled meats.

We must mention the existence of the Paloise sauce from Pau, the capital of Bearn. The sauce is served with grilled fish and is exactly the same as the Béarnaise, but made of fresh mint instead of fresh tarragon.