Quick and Easy Hollandaise Sauce

"Sauces are the splendor and the glory of French cooking." - Julia Child

As mentioned in the last post, here is a quick and easy recipe for Hollandaise sauce, from the Dec. 2009 issue of Real Simple magazine.
Julia is quite right when it comes to sauces - they absolutely make French cooking. French cooking by itself tends to be simple enough, especially when you stick to the provincial French recipes and steer clear of the adventurous "haute cuisine." But whatever you try, the sauce absolutely makes the dish.
Hollandaise is great on asparagus (as well as other green veggies like green beans), as well as eggs and fish and other things.

Makes: 1 cup

• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter

In a blender, combine egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne and 1/2 tsp. salt and blend until frothy. Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbling but not brown. While the blender is running, remove the center cap from the lid and add the hot butter in a thin stream until the sauce is thickened. If it is too thick, add warm water 1 tbsp. at a time until it is thin enough (it shouldn't be watery, but creamy enough to pour)

Enjoy!