4 - 8tablespoonsbutter, cut or broken into small pieces
pinchcayenne pepper
salt and pepper
1 - 2tablespoonslemon juice, or white wine vinegar
Instructions
Put egg yolks in a metal bowl. Sit the bowl over a saucepan filled with cold water. Heat the water, beating the egg yolks constantly with a wire whisk. The water in the pan should not boil and the bowl should stay cool enough to hold with your hand.
Continue beating the yolks constantly until they thicken. The yolks have thickened enough when you begin to see the bottom of the bowl between strokes and the mixture forms a light cream on the wires of the whisk.
Immediately remove the bowl from over the water. Add the butter, in very small pieces, whisking in each pat and allowing it to melt before adding the next. When you are finished, the mixture should be very smooth and light. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve and stir in the seasonings and lemon juice.
If the sauce is too thick, thin it a bit with cold water. Keep in a warm place.