Hollandaise, Béchamel Sauce, and Vinaigrette

Each cohort learns early on that “sauce is the boss!” and mastering mother sauces in the kitchen can provide the foundation for lots of delicious, satisfying recipes. We learned the basic skills for making a roux and mastering emulsion to produce a Mac n’ Cheese with Béchamel sauce, roasted broccoli served with a delicious hollandaise, and a light salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. These are tried and true recipes from the Root kitchen - give them a try and let us know what you think!

Mother Sauces (Hollandaise, Béchamel, and Vinaigrette)

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Recipe Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients:

  • 8 each Egg yolks

  • 2 Tbsp Lemon juice

  • 8 oz Butter, unsalted

  • To taste Kosher salt

  • To taste Cayenne pepper

Instructions:

  1. Make a double boiler: find a bowl that fits neatly into a pot. Fill the pot with 2-3 inches of water, make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.

  2. In a small saucepan, melt butter until bubbling, remove from heat, but keep in a warm place to prevent the butter from solidifying.

  3. Heat a double boiler pot to a simmer. Put the bowl into a double boiler and add eggs, lemon juice, salt and cayenne. Whisk constantly until the egg mixture heats to 165F. 

  4. Slowly drizzle in butter until it emulsifies. 

  5. Taste for seasoning and texture and serve or cool appropriately.

BECHAMEL SAUCE

Recipe Yield: 5 cups

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups Whole milk

  • 1 cup Heavy cream

  • 1 each Onion, cut into quarters

  • 4 each Black peppercorns

  • 2 each Bay leaves

  • 2 each Whole cloves

  • ¼ cup All purpose flour

  • 3 oz Unsalted butter

  • 1 tsp Kosher salt, more to taste

Instructions:

  1. In a saucepan combine milk, cream, onion, black pepper, cloves, bay leaves.

  2. Bring to a hard simmer and reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes and strain out solids.

  3. Meanwhile, make roux: melt butter in a sauce pan add flour once melted. Whisk together until mixture smells nutty and is tan. Whisk in strained milk mixture and bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Reduce liquid until sauce is nappe (coats the back of a spoon!) consistency.

  4. Taste for flavor and consistency and serve

BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

Recipe Yield: 3 cups of dressing

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Balsamic vinegar

  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

  • 2 Tbsp Red onion, chopped

  • 1 Garlic clove

  • 1 Tbsp Honey

  • 1 pinch Ground black pepper

  • 1 cup Olive oil

  • 1 cup Canola oil

Instructions:

  1. In a blender, combine balsamic vinegar, red onion, garlic, honey, and ground black pepper. 

  2. Blend on high until very pureed. 

  3. Next, remove your cover from the blender and run it on low. Once the liquid forms a vortex, slowly drizzle in the oils, increasing speed to maintain the vortex. Add all the oils until fully emulsified.

  4. Taste for seasoning and texture and serve or store in fridge.

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