This Scammer’s Hollandaise Sauce Can Be Microwaved
Hollandaise sauce can be intimidating, especially if you’re new to emulsifying. While we have some great ways to make real hollandaise sauce (whether you want to make it on the stovetop , with a submersible circulation pump , or with an immersion blender ), it’s nice to have an easy option, especially if you find yourself running out of eggs or you want something that can be whipped up in less than two minutes in the microwave.
This ersatz dutch from Duke’s is just that. Instead of emulsifying egg yolks with butter and lemon, the iconic Southern mayonnaise company suggests whipping mayonnaise with lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and water, then microwave it on low for a minute and a half.
This is a pretty smart hack. Mayonnaise and hollandaise are similar sauces. Both are made from emulsified eggs and fat, and using mayonnaise completely bypasses the whole emulsification problem because mayonnaise is already fully emulsified and is an emulsifier on its own. The Duke brand fits even better, as their mayonnaise is made from yolks rather than whole eggs, giving it a texture and taste more like Dutch than whole-egg mayonnaise.
However, I tried their recipe exactly as written and found that it wasn’t quite right, which makes sense because it’s missing a key hollandaise sauce ingredient: butter. Although mayonnaise contains fat (oil), it is the combination of egg yolk, lemon and butter that gives the Dutch taste its recognizable taste. So I added butter (and added a bit more lemon) and boom, I had a pretty good, very quick hollandaise sauce.
This recipe is easy and the sauce is almost indestructible, so feel free to experiment with it. Add shallots sautéed in white wine, or a dash of hot sauce, or smoked paprika, or anything else you think would go well with hollandaise sauce. Just don’t forget the oil. Oil is needed.
Easy Ersatz Hollandaise (slightly adapted from Duke’s )
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Duke mayonnaise (or other egg yolk mayonnaise)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/4 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons water (divided)
Add the first three ingredients and 1 teaspoon of water to a microwave-safe container and turn on the nuclear bomb at half power for 45 seconds. Whisk with a fork, then heat for another 45 seconds or until hot. Add a second teaspoon of water if you want a thinner sauce. Whisk again and pour the mixture over benedict, asparagus, salmon, or anything else you would normally pour hollandaise sauce over.