Leftover Hollandaise

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Living by oneself and not always being able to have 10 people over for an all out brunch party I'm wondering how I can make eggs benedict for myself and not waste a ton of butter and eggs in the process.

Is there a good way of keeping leftover hollandaise? Even better, can be frozen? Quality will of course suffer, but if it's not too bad I'd love to know

Even better, does anyone have a good smallish-batch technique that would make this easier to manage (for me and my cardiologist)?

[nickrey]

Living by oneself and not always being able to have 10 people over for an all out brunch party I'm wondering how I can make eggs benedict for myself and not waste a ton of butter and eggs in the process.

Is there a good way of keeping leftover hollandaise? Even better, can be frozen? Quality will of course suffer, but if it's not too bad I'd love to know

Even better, does anyone have a good smallish-batch technique that would make this easier to manage (for me and my cardiologist)?

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Hollandaise is a scalable recipe just keep the proportion of egg yolks to butter weight the same and watch your seasonings.

The biggest problem I've found with small quantities is getting your whisk into the mixture, particularly if it clumps in the outside edge of the saucepan.

[tim]

Hi,

If you use at least two egg yolks and a 1 quart sauce pan you should not have any problems with making your sabayon. Use a small whisk that fits those corners and whisk rapidly.

If you use direct heat, and butter that is separately heated to 150-160 degrees, you should be able to make a batch in 3 minutes.

Tim

[Fernwood]

I have seen (elsewhere) a couple of claims that Hollandaise can be refrigerated and very gently reheated to an acceptable texture.  Is this real?  I am not interested in modernist additives but I do have a good immersion blender.  It would definitely make my Easter dinner prep easier if I could start the Hollandaise on Saturday.

[chromedome]

9 hours ago, Fernwood said:

I have seen (elsewhere) a couple of claims that Hollandaise can be refrigerated and very gently reheated to an acceptable texture.  Is this real?  I am not interested in modernist additives but I do have a good immersion blender.  It would definitely make my Easter dinner prep easier if I could start the Hollandaise on Saturday.

I do it frequently.

 

In my case I usually serve from a Pyrex measuring cup anyway (elegant tableware, I know...) so I just Saran it when I'm done and stick it in the fridge. Then when I want to reheat I'll scoop out the solidified block of Hollandaise, cut it into chunks for faster/easier melting, and put it back in the Pyrex in a gentle water bath. Stir regularly as it melts, then progress to whisking as the lumps become smaller. Lift it out of the water bath as needed, if it seems to be warm enough to threaten the emulsion.

If it shows signs of breaking, just rescue it with a few drops of cold water as you would when making it fresh.

[MaryIsobel]

5 minutes ago, chromedome said:

I do it frequently.

 

In my case I usually serve from a Pyrex measuring cup anyway (elegant tableware, I know...) so I just Saran it when I'm done and stick it in the fridge. Then when I want to reheat I'll scoop out the solidified block of Hollandaise, cut it into chunks for faster/easier melting, and put it back in the Pyrex in a gentle water bath. Stir regularly as it melts, then progress to whisking as the lumps become smaller. Lift it out of the water bath as needed, if it seems to be warm enough to threaten the emulsion.

If it shows signs of breaking, just rescue it with a few drops of cold water as you would when making it fresh.

Very similar to what I do - i use a pyrex bowl, and it seems to work very well. I think the key is low and slow with some type of insulation (ie. water bath)

[MaryIsobel]

On a simiilar note, it was life-changing for me when I read about making hollandaise a couple of hours ahead and keeping it in a pre-warmed vacuum flask. Holds beautifully in a decent vacuum flask. Why had I never thought of that?!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, MaryIsobel said:

On a simiilar note, it was life-changing for me when I read about making hollandaise a couple of hours ahead and keeping it in a pre-warmed vacuum flask. Holds beautifully in a decent vacuum flask. Why had I never thought of that?!

 

I had acquired a new vacuum flask right before my health went to hell.  However Hollandaise takes seconds.  I don't see the problem with making it at serving time.

 

[MaryIsobel]

51 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I had acquired a new vacuum flask right before my health went to hell.  However Hollandaise takes seconds.  I don't see the problem with making it at serving time.

 

Well, if you're making eggs Benedict for 8 people on Christmas morning and they all choose to gather in the kitchen while you are trying to poach 16 eggs and toast English muffins, and kiss and hug and put coats away, every little bit helps.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

57 minutes ago, MaryIsobel said:

Well, if you're making eggs Benedict for 8 people on Christmas morning and they all choose to gather in the kitchen while you are trying to poach 16 eggs and toast English muffins, and kiss and hug and put coats away, every little bit helps.

 

 

To give a serious answer, what about poaching the eggs before hand and refreshing them with hot water immediately before serving?

 

If the poached eggs are less than perfect your guests may forgive you by next year.  If the Hollandaise is cold and gritty they will remember your breakfast to grandchildren down through generations.

 

[Duvel]

2 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

To give a serious answer, what about poaching the eggs before hand and refreshing them with hot water immediately before serving?

 

If the poached eggs are less than perfect your guests may forgive you by next year.  If the Hollandaise is cold and gritty they will remember your breakfast to grandchildren down through generations.

 

I switched to 5 min eggs … prepeeled and heated up in a 60 oC waterbath for service.

[curls]

11 hours ago, Duvel said:

I switched to 5 min eggs … prepeeled and heated up in a 60 oC waterbath for service.

Duvel does this mean that you are boiling the eggs for 5 minutes, peeling them, and then putting them in a 60 degree C water bath? Do you boil the eggs a day or two before and refrigerate them? Are you using these eggs for eggs Benedict? I’d like to try this!

[nickrey]

I now use cheat's Hollandaise: Some store-bought mayonnaise mixed with a bit of Dijon mustard and some lemon juice. Works a treat.

[Duvel]

8 hours ago, curls said:

Duvel does this mean that you are boiling the eggs for 5 minutes, peeling them, and then putting them in a 60 degree C water bath? Do you boil the eggs a day or two before and refrigerate them? Are you using these eggs for eggs Benedict? I’d like to try this!

Yes, exactly - have a look here. Boil for 5 min (from fridge), shock in cold water (for easier peeling) and peel away. For 4-5 people you can just directly assemble, for larger crowds you can do it a day before, and just heat up in a waterbath. I use my SV bath, st 60 oC. Takes somewhere between 10-15 min, but at that temperature you are „yolk-safe“ for longer than 30 min …

 

The only „drawback“ is that the eggs are quite round. But once you cut into them, all happy faces …

 

 

 

Edited April 9, 2023 by Duvel (log)

[curls]

Thank you @Duvel for the detailed explanation.  I'm looking forward to trying out your egg method next weekend.  Would be great to have less last minute stuff to do when I want to make eggs benedict.

[Anna N]

7 hours ago, Duvel said:

The only „drawback“ is that the eggs are quite round.

And they are not poached. I don't know how to say this without risking sounding disagreeable. All I want to say is that there is something about the texture of a poached egg that cannot be replicated. It is my favourite way to enjoy an egg and no other preparation compares. I think your preparation would be delicious but textually it would disappoint me.  Happy Easter to you and your delightful family.  
 

[Duvel]

14 minutes ago, Anna N said:

And they are not poached. I don't know how to say this without risking sounding disagreeable. All I want to say is that there is something about the texture of a poached egg that cannot be replicated. It is my favourite way to enjoy an egg and no other preparation compares. I think your preparation would be delicious but textually it would disappoint me.  Happy Easter to you and your delightful family.  
 

You are completely right concerning the texture. Instead of a more fragile egg white shell you‘ll have a thin yet stable white. On Eggs Benedict, with the toasted muffin, the fried ham derivative and the thick Hollandaise I feel I can compromise … but - again - it is a short cut 🤗