WILTED BABY SPINACH WITH GARLIC AND LEMON

TOMATO SHALLOT JAM

HOLLANDAISE

WILTED BABY SPINACH WITH GARLIC AND LEMON

Yield: 8 Servings
 
2 T. butter or oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 large bunches of baby spinach
juice of ½ a lemon
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
 
Melt two tablespoons of butter or oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté until aromatic and golden brown, being careful not to burn it. Remove the garlic and turn off the heat. Add the spinach, sugar and lemon juice. Toss to coat the greens well and allow them to wilt in the heat of the pan for several minutes.  Remove the greens from the pan when they are tender but still green. Adjust seasoning and serve warm.  
 

TOMATO SHALLOT JAM

Yield: 2 ½  Cups
 
2 T. butter
3 shallots, thinly sliced
2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
2 c. good quality white wine vinegar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and sweat until just tender, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook several minutes more until they soften. Add the remaining ingredients and a pinch of salt. Bring the sauce to a simmer and reduce by half. Adjust seasonings and serve warm. This sauce refrigerates well for at least a week and can be used at any temperature.

HOLLANDAISE

Yield: 2 cups
 
1/3 c. + 2 T. water
1 T. lemon juice
2/3 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground white pepper
3 egg yolks
½ lb. unsalted butter – melted (or warm clarified butter)
 
 
Mix 1/3 cup water, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a saucepan and reduce to two tablespoons. Add the egg yolks, whisking over very low heat until the mixture is very thick and white. Remove from the heat and dribble in the warm melted butter, whisking constantly to emulsify.  Return the saucepan to the heat as needed, never allowing the sauce to become either too hot or too cold.  If the sauce appears overly thick while you’re adding the butter, thin with additional lemon juice to taste, or with the remaining two tablespoons of water if needed.  Season the finished sauce with salt and pepper, strain into a warm bowl, and keep in a warm place until ready to serve.  Keep in mind that this delicate emulsified egg sauce has a short shelf life and should not be kept at too high a temperature.
 
As an alternative, use cold butter instead of melted butter or clarified butter.  If using cold butter, whisk into the yolks and lemon/water reduction 4 T. at a time.  Strain the sauce into a warm bowl after final seasoning.
 
For a classic Bearnaise sauce, substitute tarragon vinegar for the lemon juice. In addition, add 1 T. finely chopped shallots and 1 T. fresh chopped chervil and/or tarragon to finish the sauce.
 
Adding 1-2 T. meat glaze (glace de viande) to finished Bearnaise is known as Sauce Foyot.

Keys to Success:
 
Formula:  3 T. Water : 3 Yolks : 1 c. Butter      

Techniques:  Emulsification
 
Components:

sabayon
clarified butter          emulsify
 
lemon juice              adjust seasonings
cayenne