I decided I just had to post this recipe for Hollandaise Sauce because Hollandaise is generally regarded as an emulsion that requires a great deal of practice to perfect. Phooey! This incredible sauce is as easy as getting out a blender, putting a few ingredients into said blender, and then melting butter. Sound hard? Right – not in the least. Now if you were to prepare this sauce, probably the most famous and often most dreaded of sauces the correct way, you might be asking for disaster. But using a blender makes the whole process almost foolproof. And do I really care to go through all the effort of trying to force egg yolks to absorb butter and hold it in a creamy suspension to possibly (and in my case probably) end up with curdled eggs? No. Am I willing to live with the knowledge that I cheated and used a blender? You can bet your copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking that I will happily cheat like this any old time! Give me the tried and true, easy and perfect result every time. Especially when the final product turns out better than most of the Hollandaise served in restaurants today.  So next time you want to dress up a vegetable, scrambled eggs, a plain piece of fish, or make the best Eggs Benedict you’ve ever tasted, give this simple recipe a try. Happy Hollandaise everyone!

• 4 egg yolks
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. dry mustard
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
• dash hot sauce
• ½ c. (1/4 lb.) butter

Put all ingredients in blender except butter. Cover and whirl for 30 seconds. Melt butter until very hot. Add to blender in a steady stream through the little lid in the big lid until mixture is completely emulsified. Serve warm or at room temperature. If you have any left-over Hollandaise, refrigerate until ready to use. Then warm ever so slowly in your microwave. (Warm too quickly and the butter and eggs will separate. Not what you want!) Better yet, don’t warm it at all. Just spoon it over hot scrambled eggs and the heat from the eggs will gently warm the sauce. Yum to the max!