I love, love, LOVE hollandaise sauce. If I am out for brunch, eggs benedict is my number one choice every time, second choice would be anything else they serve with hollandaisse. If, for some insane reason there is no hollandaise on the entire menu, no breakfast restaurant should expect me back any time soon!

My husband doesn’t like hollandaise that much, unfortunately, so I usually only make it for guests or when I have a craving for it I can’t suppress. This recipe adds a little tang to the classic one, with a small amount of Dijon mustard and a little extra spice – delicious!

Dijon hollandaise sauce

(makes approximately 1 cup)

Ingredients:

Process:

1) With an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and lemon juice on high speed until thickened, pale, and doubled in volume.

2) Set up a double boiler with about 1 inch of water, ensuring the water doesn’t touch the bowl above. If you do not have one, a steel bowl over a saucepan works just fine, I use the metal bowl right from my Kitchen aid mixer. The water in the saucepan should be just simmering; too hot and the eggs will scramble and your sauce will split.

3) Whisk the egg mixture continuously, add the Dijon, then gradually drizzle the melted butter while continuing to whisk quickly. After some time, the mixture should thicken back up and double once again.If you find the mixture is getting too hot, turn off the burner.

4) Add the spices and whisk in, if you feel it has thickened too much you can always add a couple drops of warm water and whisk in to thin the sauce. Keep warm until serving.

The mustard makes this hollandaise particularly good on salmon, asparagus, or roasted potatoes but still makes a great topping for your classic eggs benedict. I served this particular batch with crispy skinned salmon, wilted spinach and roast potatoes and carrots.