Béarnaise
A rich French emulsion sauce of clarified butter, egg yolks, tarragon, and vinegar — the classic accompaniment for lean steaks like filet mignon.
Béarnaise is the queen of steak sauces — a warm emulsion of egg yolks and clarified butter flavored with a reduction of white wine vinegar, shallots, and tarragon. It's essentially a hollandaise sauce infused with tarragon, and it transforms lean steaks from pleasant to extraordinary.
The sauce dates to the 1830s, created at a Paris restaurant named Le Pavillon Henri IV. Its genius lies in adding richness exactly where it's needed: lean cuts that lack natural fat.
Why It Works with Lean Cuts: Filet mignon is supremely tender but relatively mild in flavor and low in fat. Béarnaise supplies what the cut lacks — butter richness, aromatic complexity (tarragon's anise-like character), and a subtle acid backbone from the reduction. The result is a complete flavor experience.
Why It Fails with Fatty Cuts: Put béarnaise on a well-marbled ribeye and you've created a butter bomb. The steak already provides abundant fat; adding more makes the combination cloying by the third bite. Match richness to leanness.
Making Béarnaise: 1. Reduce white wine vinegar with minced shallots, cracked peppercorns, and tarragon stems until nearly dry 2. Whisk egg yolks with a splash of water over gentle heat until thick and pale 3. Slowly drizzle in clarified butter while whisking constantly 4. Strain, add chopped fresh tarragon and chervil 5. Season with salt and a squeeze of lemon
Critical Tips: - Temperature control is everything — too hot breaks the emulsion - Use clarified butter (whole butter's water content causes sputtering) - Make it fresh; it cannot be reheated successfully - If it breaks, start with a fresh yolk and slowly whisk in the broken sauce
Béarnaise elevates filet mignon from a $40 experience to a $100 one. It's worth learning to make properly.