Mock Hollandaise Sauce
This is a hollandaise-style sauce that skips the double boiler, which is the piece of equipment that puts many cooks off. Egg yolks, water and lemon are whisked over very low heat in an ordinary saucepan, then clarified butter is added a teaspoon at a time to build the emulsion. A pinch of cayenne gives it a gentle edge. Keep aluminium tools away from it, since the lemon will discolor the sauce.
Instructions
Cut the butter into small pieces and melt it gently, taking care that it does not burn. Let it cool until solids appear on the surface.
Skim off the milk solids and keep the clarified butter warm and liquid, for example in a hot cup.
Put the egg yolks, lemon juice, water, salt and cayenne pepper in a non-reactive saucepan and beat until smooth.
Set the pan over very low heat and whisk constantly. If the egg begins to solidify, take the pan off the heat and keep whisking. If it shows any sign of burning, whisk hard, and if that is not enough, dunk the pan into cold water.
When the whisk leaves streaks on the bottom of the pan, after about 8 minutes, start adding the clarified butter one teaspoon at a time. Add more as each addition combines, because pouring it in too fast makes the sauce split and you will have to start over.
The sauce thickens as the butter goes in. When it reaches the thickness you want, remove it from the heat, stir in the parsley if using, and serve.
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