Makes 1 1/2 cups sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
- 3 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
- 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and kept warm
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Ground white pepper, as needed
- Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
Directions
-
In a small saucepan, heat the vinegar and peppercorns over medium heat. Simmer until nearly dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the water to a medium bowl. Strain the vinegar-peppercorn mixture into the bowl; discard the peppercorns.
-
Whisk the egg yolks into the mixture and set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until the yolks have tripled in volume and fall in ribbons from the whisk when it is lifted, about 4 minutes.
-
Remove the bowl from the heat and set it on a damp towel to keep the bowl from slipping on the work surface. Gradually ladle in the warm, melted butter in a thin stream, whisking constantly. As the butter is blended into the yolks, the sauce will thicken and emulsify. If it becomes too thick, add a little water or lemon juice to loosen the yolks enough to absorb the remaining butter.
-
Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne, if using. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed.
-
Serve the sauce within 2 hours. If not using immediately, keep the sauce warm over a pot of barely simmering water or in an insulated container.
