An emulsified sauce is a sauce that consist of two ingredients that wouldn't normally mix on their own, but are held together with an emulsifier. An emulsifier is able to bind easily with fats and with water; thus it can hold together oil-and water-based liquids in a stable mixture. Egg yolks are the most common emulsifier.
We made both cold and warm emulsified sauces in class, and the latter is definitely more tricky to create. The sauces we tackled were: mayonnaise, hollandaise, béarnaise, beurre blanc, and classic sabayon.
Mayonnaise: egg yolks + dijon mustard + salt + vinegar + oil
What we did was mix together everything but the oil, then drop by drop added the oil until there was an emulsion. Then we added the rest of the oil in a thin, steady stream. Note: never stop whisking if there is unincorporated oil in the bowl. If you have to rest, make sure you do it in between oil additions.
Tip: It's best to use rapeseed (canola) oil for mayo. Be careful about using olive oil. Olive will become more bitter, the more you whisk. If you want an olive flavor, use half olive half vegetable oil.
Hollandaise: egg yolk + water + clarified butter + lemon + cayenne + salt
Hollandaise (also a mother sauce) is a warm sauce, so it was mixed over a bain marie (hot water bath). We whisked together egg yolks and 1/2 an eggshell of water for every 2 yolks Then we attempted to whisk in a fancy figure-8 pattern. It takes a little practice and some rhythm to really get going, but we kept whisking away until we got a thick smooth-looking consistency and we could see the bowl between whisk strokes. It was a little tricky cause we kept having to move the bowl on or off the bain marie because it would get too hot. And you do not want the eggs to cook.
Once it was to the right consistency we took it off the heat and slowly added melted, clarified butter. Again, we had to do this little by little. If added too fast, your sauce can break. Once all the butter (or enough butter) was added we seasoned with a little lemon juice, salt, and cayenne.
Tip: Put a wet towel over a pot and then rest your bowl on top as you whisk to keep it steady, or wrap a wet towel around the base of your mixing bowl to hold it in place.
Béarnaise: shallot, tarragon & white wine vinegar reduction + egg yolk + clarified butter + herbs + salt
Béarnaise begins with a reduction. You combine shallots, pepper, tarragon, vinegar and water and reduce over the stove until it is à sec ( basically dry-very little liquid). Then you add your egg yolks and do exactly what you did for the hollandaise. After the butter is incorporated, season with a bit of chervil, tarragon, and salt and pepper.
After having tasted one too many spoonfuls, of fatty oil/butter laden sauces in attempt to perfect the seasonings. It was finally time to break for lunch. Our chef was really excited because it was "buffet day" and let us go a bit early to line up. Curious, we queued up outside the meal hall and waited for the buffet to officially open. At 12 on the dot, students from the level 4 class came by with hors d'oeuvres, and then we were able to load up our plates at the buffet.
Level 4 had spent the entire last week butchering a pig and turning all of it's meat into various dishes. They decided upon a German theme, so we had bratwurst sausage, ham, pork roast, potatoes, sauerkraut, 7 different pates, pretzels, mustards, everything. It was quite the production. And so much heavy food.
We had to laugh at the timing. Our class was doing heavy sauces, and the other level, pastries chock full of butter. We were all swearing off food at the end of lunch.
Afterwards we rounded out the sauces with a beurre blanc (white butter sauce) and a classic sabayon.
Beurre Blanc: shallot + vinegar + white wine + salt + butter + butter + butter
We began by reduced the shallots, vinegar, and wine until it had reduced by 9/10ths (who even uses that fraction?). Basically your reduction can never be too dry (just don't burn it). Then you start whisking in cold cubes of butter little by little till you have your sauce. Some folks will add cream at this point, which helps it hold better, especially if it is sitting out at a buffet or something, but purists will argue that it is not beurre blanc. It should be classified as beurre nantais if cream is added.
As soon as we took our sauce off the heat to season it, we saw it was on the verge of breaking. And helplessly we watch it separate. My partner, who had broken every one of his sauces, was feeling pretty bad. I encouraged him whisk it, so he could have the chance to make at least one sauce without breaking it. In retrospect, maybe I should have done it.
Tip: How to repair a broken sauce. Add a little warm or cold water, if the sauce broke because it was held at the wrong temp. If it broke because the butter was added too fast, like ours did, then here's what to do: take a little of the broken sauce and whisk it together with some water. Then little by little, whisk back in the broken sauce. And voila! Good as new!
Classic Sabayon: yolks + sugar + wine
Sabayon is technically egg yolks and flavoring elements that have been mixed over a bain marie until it becomes a thick airy custard. Both hollandaise and béarnaise start out as a sabayon. To make a sweet sabayon, mix all the ingredients together over a bain marie until you get a nice thick custard. Thick like waffle batter. You can serve it plain or over berries. We spooned ours over berries, then broiled it in the oven for a bit, to form a bit of a crust.
Tip: As soon as egg yolks touch sugar, you must whisk or else they'll form a crust. So if you are making any recipe that calls for eggs and sugar, don't add the sugar and let it sit. You should mix it right away.
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