30 by 30 hollandaise bidness.

when i set out to write my 30 by 30 list, i decided it needed a good combination of easily attainable items like organizing my craft supplies, as well as some difficult-ish tasks like perfecting hollandaise sauce, in order to make it feel like the success i wanted it to be. i fell in love with eggs benny a little over 2 years ago, and have ordered it every time i've gone out for breakfast ever since. it's rich, luxurious and incredibly tasty, so learning how to make it at home was a no brainer. now i'm not sure about you, but in our house we do all the cooking together, and as much as i wish we were equals in the kitchen, i am very clearly paulie's sous chef -- i chop, prep and get him this or that, i taste as he goes and clean up behind him as he makes a disaster out of our 4' by 8' kitchen. but at the end of the day i'm happy to have this job considering what that boy pulls together is always without fail beautiful, delicious, and worth the work. besides, in my opinion, not a whole lot in this world is sexier than your man in the kitchen, cooking you a meal, i'll tell you that. and with all that said, we fucking perfected hollandaise sauce baby!

how we do: perfectly perfected hollandaise sauce

{makes enough for two}

prep time: 5 minutes

cook time: 5 minutes

you will need:

1/3 cup of melted butter

4 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon water

salt & pepper to taste

to be quite honest it took us almost 2 hours to prepare this meal, and the fact that we didn't kill each other in the process is a true testament of our commitment to perfecting hollandaise (and to each other i guess, but definitely more to the sauce). we had seen a few recipes online and in some of our favourite cook books, and with a terrible first attempt (today and a few in the past), we learned from our mistakes and are confident we now have this recipe by the balls.

in a small bowl (we used a pyrex dish, but any glass or stainless bowl will work) combine 4 egg yolks and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, whisking together to allow it to thicken up. melt 1/3 cup of butter in the microwave for 45 seconds or on the stove, however you prefer. if you have a double boiler (which we don't) you're golden, if not you can make your own by using a small pot (one that the pyrex/glass bowl will sit on nicely) filled with enough water that once boiling, it will not touch the bottom of your bowl -- if it does your bowl will get too hot, you'll end up cooking the eggs and everything will go caca. 

before setting the bowl on the pot, scoop out 1 tablespoon of the boiling water and whisk it into your yolks and lemon juice, this warms up the mixture and gently introduces it to the heat. while constantly whisking the mixture, begin adding the melted butter a tablespoon at a time, ensuring it is fully incorporated before adding the next spoonful until all the butter is combined. continue whisking for 3-5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens to a smooth, creamy consistency. remove the bowl from the heat (still whisking all the while) and incorporate 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard and salt & pepper to taste. the dijon gives it a nice kick, so if you're loving that feel free to add more -- 
we will be doing so next time for sure.

we choose to use the sauce over eggs benedict made with toasted english muffins, thinly sliced smoked salmon, spinach sauteed in butter and a perfectly poached egg, but you can stick to the classics and use peameal/canadian bacon instead of the salmon and spinach. a side of cajun spiced home fries and fried fresh tomatoes and let me tell you somethin': after 4 solid failed attempts at hollandaise sauce in our kitchen, today was nothin' but pats on the back and a few fuck yeahs.