Béarnaise sauce is a sauce made of clarified butter emulsified in egg yolks, white wine vinegar and flavored with herbs. It is considered to be a ‘child’ of the mother Hollandaise sauce, one of the five sauces in the French haute cuisine mother sauce repertoire. The difference is only in their flavoring: Béarnaise uses shallot, chervil, peppercorn, and tarragon, while Hollandaise uses lemon juice or white wine. Its name is related to the province of Béarn, France.
In appearance it is light yellow and opaque, smooth and creamy and Béarnaise is a traditional sauce for steak. Like Hollandaise sauce, there are several methods for the preparation of Béarnaise sauce. The most common preparation is a bain-marie method where a reduction of vinegar is used to acidify the yolks.
The sauce was likely first created by the chef Collinet, the inventor of puffed potatoes (pommes de terre soufflées), and served at the 1836 opening of Le Pavillon Henri IV, a restaurant at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, not far from Paris. Evidence for this is reinforced by the fact that the restaurant was named for Henry IV of France, a gourmet himself, who was born in the province of Béarn.
- 1 – 2 1/3-pound live lobster
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted Butter, divided
- 1 Shallot, sliced
- 2 Garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 dried red chile, such as Japones or de árbol
- 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/4 cup Sherry wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped Shallot
- 1 tablespoon Capers, chopped
- 2 large Egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon fresh Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Water
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Tarragon
- 6 – 1 1/4-inch-thick Steaks
- Coarse kosher Salt
Cook lobster in large pot of boiling salted water 13 minutes. Using tongs, transfer lobster to rimmed baking sheet. Cool slightly. Twist off claws; reserve for another use. Twist off tail. Scrape out any green tomalley. Using kitchen shears, cut body and legs into 2-inch pieces and place in medium bowl. Cut tail meat from shell; add shell to bowl with body and legs. Cut meat lengthwise into 4 strips, then crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Place meat in small bowl, cover, and chill.
Melt 1/2 cup butter in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add sliced shallot, garlic, and chile; cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add lobster shell pieces and stir 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium. Add remaining 1/2 cup butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until melted between additions. Add paprika; stir to blend. Strain butter into medium bowl, pressing on solids in strainer to release all butter. Discard solids in strainer. Let lobster butter cool to room temperature. (Lobster meat and butter can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover butter and chill. Return lobster butter to room temperature before continuing.)
Combine vinegar, chopped shallot, and capers in medium saucepan. Boil over high heat until almost all liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Whisk yolks, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon water in medium bowl. Place bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly until mixture is thick, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat. Whisk in lobster butter in 6 additions. Whisk in shallot mixture and tarragon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in reserved lobster meat. Season with salt and pepper. Keep lobster bèarnaise sauce over warm water.
Preheat broiler. Rub steaks with coarse kosher salt and pepper. Broil until cooked to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for medium-rare (5 minutes per side if boneless). Serve with lobster bèarnaise sauce.
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