Healthy Blender Béarnaise, Hollandaise, and Mayonnaise, And Other Egg Based Sauces

 

I remember vividly when I prepared my very first Bearnaise sauce. It went terribly wrong! I carefully whisked it up in a double boiler with total concentration only to have it separate. I eventually learned to do it right, but with time I became a bit more impatient with the process and ditched the double boiler to carefully whisk it directly over a low heat burner on the stove. Finally I tried it in the blender, and looking for new ideas, I found out that blender Béarnaise and Hollandaise were actually “a thing”! And it can be a completely healthy thing as well. Following I will share with you my recipes for Béarnaise sauce, Hollandaise sauce, and mayonnaise. Instead of only egg yolks I now use the entire egg, an organic free-range chicken egg of course, and instead of butter I use either extra virgin olive oil or extra virgin avocado oil. Even my son, who until recently mainly cooked with large amounts of butter, admitted that the Béarnaise sauce I made with avocado oil was actually very good. Try it with a 100% grass fed steak or an air-fried piece of fish. 

A few helpful tips:

Have all ingredients at room temperature. As mentioned, I use whole eggs from organic free-range chickens. This already cuts some of the cholesterol and keeps it healthy. I first blend the egg with the liquid (organic apple cider vinegar or lime juice) and the spices, then add the oil in a strong steady flow at the beginning and slower at the end before you get to the consistency you like. The more oil you add the thicker the sauce will get. If your sauce gets too thick you can carefully thin it out with a small amount of warm water.

Béarnaise Sauce

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Ingredients:

• 1 whole organic free range chicken egg
• ¼ to ⅓ cup extra virgin avocado oil or olive oil or a mixture of both
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Organic Apple Cider Vinegar or more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon tarragon
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add egg, mustard, vinegar, tarragon, and onion powder to the blender and blend until creamy. Start adding the oil in a slow but steady stream. The more oil you add, the thicker the sauce will be. If you add too much oil you will have a mayonnaise, but that can be remedied with a little water. Just check as you are adding oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add more vinegar to taste.

Hollandaise Sauce

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Ingredients:

• 1 whole organic free range chicken egg
• ¼ to ⅓ cup extra virgin avocado oil
• Juice of ½ lime or lemon (add more to taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add egg and lime juice to the blender and blend until creamy. Start adding the oil in a slow but steady stream. The more oil you add, the thicker the sauce will be. If you add too much oil you will have a mayonnaise, but that can be remedied with a little water. Just check as you are adding oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mayonnaise

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Use the Hollandaise recipe to make mayonnaise, simply add more oil until you reach the desired thickness. For a lighter sauce mix the mayonnaise with Greek yoghurt, for a spicy mayo I add roasted chili peppers (canned) or pepper flakes. Any chili paste or even hot sauce works too. I also like it with prepared horseradish or wasabi, depending on my taste of the day and what I use it for. You can add any spices you like, use avocado oil for a lighter taste or olive oil for a more intense taste; just experiment.

Many delicious sauces start with a good mayonnaise. Here are a few recipes you should try:

Ranch Sauce

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This is a guilt-free version of the popular ranch sauce, which can be used as a dip for vegetables, roasted potatoes, or as a salad dressing. If you are used to buying ranch dressing in a bottle, try this version instead. Most store-bought ranch dressings contain unhealthy ingredients like highly processed oils which lead to inflammation in the body and cause you to gain weight.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup home-made mayonnaise (see recipe above)
• 1 cup organic fat free Greek yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped organic Italian parsley
• 1 teaspoon organic onion powder
• ½ teaspoon organic garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon fresh organic dill weed (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients in a bowl or mix in the blender. If the sauce gets too thick you can thin it out with a little bit of water.

Remoulade Sauce (Tartar Sauce)

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Remoulade sauce originated in Northern Germany where it is traditionally eaten with the fish they have in abundance there, or you can simply eat it with a nice piece of fresh whole wheat or sourdough bread. I still use my mother’s recipe, although I now use my home-made mayonnaise for which I use quite a bit of lime juice and therefore omit the lemon juice the original recipe called for. You can add some lime juice if you want the remoulade to be a bit more sour.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 hard boiled organic free-range chicken egg, finely diced
• 3 cornichons/gherkins, finely diced
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped organic Italian parsley
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped organic dill weed
• ½ small onion, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon capers, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon cornichon fluid
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together very well. A traditional remoulade sauce is coarse and you want to be able to bite on the ingredients, therefore do not use the blender. This sauce is best when you let it rest in the refrigerator overnight.

Spanish Aioli

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This garlic mayonnaise is typical of Spain and is often eaten with shrimp (gambas) or fried foods. It is made with olive oil and garlic and is super tasty. You can add some spices like hot sauce or chili peppers like in a typical spicy mayo. It also goes very well with fish and is great on sandwiches and for dipping fresh vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole organic free range chicken egg
• ¼ to ⅓ cup extra olive oil
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• Juice of ½ lime or lemon (add more to taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon canned chili pepper or chili powder (optional)

Directions:

Add egg, garlic, and lime juice to the blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Start adding the oil in a slow but steady stream until you reach the desired thickness. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Caramelized Onion Dip

This dip is great for a vegetable platter or even with roasted vegetables or home-made oven-baked vegetable chips. It is also tasty on a roasted vegetable sandwich or with garlic-olive oil brushed and roasted sourdough bread slices.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup organic fat free Greek yoghurt
• ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon organic onion Powder
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups chopped yellow onions (about 2-3 medium onions)
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a saucepan and add the onions and saute until starting to brown. Add vinegar, salt and pepper, cover and simmer over low heat until very soft, approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool.

Combine mayonnaise and Greek yoghurt in the blender and blend until well mixed. Add onion mixture and Worcestershire sauce and pulse until onions are mixed in but still have texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The Perfect Combinations

Having grown up in Southern Germany, no meal is complete for me without a nice sauce. The biggest challenge is to keep it healthy. Originally, most sauces are very heavy on saturated fats as they are made with butter, cream and meat drippings. Most meat sauces have a roue base, which include butter and flour. Watch out for my alternative recipes for Goulash and other meat dishes in tasty creamy sauces without butter and flour. 

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Béarnaise sauce, Hollandaise sauce and especially mayonnaise have received a very bad reputation for being unhealthy. With the right ingredients and a few adaptations you can make it a healthy addition to your meals.

I like to add Béarnaise sauce to tuna steaks, duck breasts or to an occasional 100% grass-fed steak. The creamy richness makes it a perfect combination. Hollandaise is great with Eggs Benedict, a light white fish or with fresh roasted vegetables like asparagus and green beans, pumpkin or even baked potato wedges.

Try a spicy version of the mayonnaise with any fish or on sandwiches. I usually have a container with spicy mayo in my fridge which I also use for improvised salad dressings. 

All the different types of mayonnaise based sauces make great dips for vegetables, home-made oven-baked vegetable chips, vegetable or grain patties, or chilled fish cakes on a party platter or simply with a piece of freshly baked whole wheat or sourdough bread.