Sauce Bearnaise

Chop one shallot.

Crush 5 white pepper corns.

Wash and dry 4 stems of tarragon and 3 stems of kerbel, pick the leaves from the stems and chop them, set aside 1 teaspoon of the leaves.

Bring 4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar to the boil and add the leaves, reduce to 1 tablespoon of liquid.

Melt 250g butter, skim off the white foam and use only the clear yellow liquid (clarified butter).

You now need a double boiler. So bring some water to a simmer.

Put the reduced vinegar with herbs through a sieve into a small pot.

Add 4 tablespoons of white wine and 3 egg yolks.

Whisk this mixture continuously and place it over the simmering water for some 20 seconds. Keep whisking till the mixture is a thick cream. Be very cautious with the heat – the egg yolks must not scramble or the sauce will be ruined. So you may have to move from and to the double boiler several times.

Add the first quarter of the molten butter, tablespoon by tablespoon, while constantly whisking. After that, slowly pour in the rest of the molten butter and – of course – keep whisking.

Season with salt, a few drops of lemon juice and just a hint of red pepper.

When finished, put the teaspoon of leaves you have set aside into the sauce.