Gordon Ramsay's Hollandaise Sauce Recipe With A Twist

Gordon Ramsay is one of the most renowned and most respected top chefs in the world, so it should come as no surprise that he knows how to whip up a mean hollandaise sauce. If you're an eggs Benedict fan, you're all too familiar with this delicious, creamy sauce. It's a classic, perfect accompaniment to poached eggs, but if you're looking for a little spin on the traditional, chef and recipe developer Susan Olayinka of The Flexible Fridge has you covered.

Olayinka put a fun and unique twist on Ramsay's classic take on the sauce. In a nutshell, "Hollandaise sauce is basically an emulsion of egg yolk, melted butter, and lemon juice," Olayinka says, adding, "It's normally served with eggs Benedict, steamed veggies like asparagus, or fish." But you can think outside the box, too. "This sauce can be compared to a slightly runnier, creamier mayonnaise," Olayinka adds, so why not use it wherever you'd use mayonnaise, such as on burgers, sandwiches, or even on fries? And yes, you can even enjoy it over a steak!

Most hollandaise sauce recipes call for a similar list of ingredients. This one, of course, has a twist, but we'll reveal what it is later. For now, suffice it to say that to make a cup's worth of this tasty goodness (enough for about six servings), you'll need 17.5 ounces of white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of peppercorns, one bunch of tarragon, three large free-range egg yolks (if possible, otherwise other yolks are fine), 7 ounces of melted unsalted butter, one good squeeze of lemon juice, and one avocado.

Start the recipe off by adding the white wine vinegar to a pot and putting it over high heat so that it comes to a boil. While it warms, add the whole peppercorns and roughly chopped (or ripped) tarragon. Once the vinegar is boiling, reduce the heat to a medium setting (a fast simmer, but not a rolling boil), and let the contents in the pot cook for 30 minutes.

After those 30 minutes have passed, the vinegar will have reduced by about half and taken on a lot of flavor. Strain the herbs and peppercorns out, and reserve the liquid.

Get a separate large pan, and boil a good amount of water, then reduce it to a simmer. Next, using a large balloon whisk, beat together the yolks and 2 teaspoons of the reduced wine vinegar in a heatproof bowl that fits over the pan.

Beat vigorously until the mixture forms a foam, but make sure that it doesn't get too hot. To prevent the sauce from overheating, take it on and off the heat while you whisk, scraping around and down the sides with a plastic or silicone spatula.

Next, start to whisk in small scoops of the warmed butter a little at a time, then return the bowl to the gentle heat to cook a bit more. Remove it from the heat again, whisk in another bit of butter, and repeat until all of the butter is incorporated and you have a texture as thick as mayonnaise. Finally, whisk in the lemon juice and optional salt and black pepper to taste.

FYI, you'll keep the sauce away from the heat from now on, so it doesn't thicken up too much. The next step is to peel and chop an avocado, and place it into a blender. Then, pour the hollandaise sauce in on top of it, and blend everything on low for 15 seconds. (Blend carefully, and be sure to follow the proper safety precautions when blending anything that's hot in a blender to avoid a potential kitchen mishap.)

And that's it! Spoon the sauce out into a bowl for serving, or put it right onto your tasty eggs Benedict. And while best enjoyed fresh, you have a bit of time with this one. Olayinka says, "Store the sauce refrigerated in airtight container for one to two days."

Note that at the end of this recipe, you should have about ¾ cup of the vinegar mixture leftover, since you're only using 2 teaspoons of it in the hollandaise sauce. To put the leftover vinegar mix to good use, Olayinka notes, "Home cooks can use it as part of a salad dressing (mixed with some extra-virgin olive oil and honey) and to season meat for roasting, like pork, lamb, and beef joints."

So, what's the twist, might you be wondering? Well, if you haven't already figured it out, we've got the scoop. If you look at Gordon Ramsay's hollandaise sauce recipe — or just about any recipe for hollandaise sauce, in fact — you'll find most of the ingredients found here, but you won't find an avocado. That's an addition Olayinka put into play, and it adds a richness that's hard to beat.

Using avocado does, of course, shorten the storage life of this sauce. But if you plan ahead and prepare it fresh for brunch, it will likely become a regular part of your household menu.