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a spoonfull of thick bearnaise sauce over a bowl of bearnaise
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5 from 2 votes

Bearnaise Sauce for Steak

Serve up nothing short of luxury with my Bearnaise Sauce for Steak! This rich, decadent sauce is a classic with steak for a reason!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Bearnaise sauce, bearnaise sauce for steak, bearnaise sauce recipe, bearnaise steak sauce
Servings: 1 cup
Calories: 1408kcal
Author: Isabel Laessig

Equipment

  • Sauce pan
  • Metal mixing bowl
  • Double boiler optional, replaces mixing bowl

Ingredients

  • ½ cup White wine vinegar
  • 1 Shallot minced
  • 1½ Tablespoons Tarragon dried or fresh
  • 1 teaspoon Black pepper
  • 2 Egg yolks
  • 1½ sticks Unsalted butter

See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!

Instructions

  • Place a small frying pan over medium low heat, and add in the vinegar, shallot, black pepper, and tarragon. Let simmer 10-15 minutes or until well reduced- there should be no more than a few tablespoons of liquid left. Set aside.
    ½ cup White wine vinegar, 1 Shallot, 1½ Tablespoons Tarragon, 1 teaspoon Black pepper
    a metal bowl filled with reduced vinegar and herbs next to a stick of butter and egg yolks
  • In a small saucepan, heat about an inch of water. While heating, take a metal mixing bowl and combine in it the cooled herb reduction, egg yolks, and a splash of water. Place the mixing bowl on top of the water-filled pan, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. (You can also use a double boiler.)
    2 Egg yolks
    egg yolks being added to a metal bowl full of reduced oil and herbs
  • While whisking continuously, add in the butter 2-4 tablespoons at a time. Whisk until fully melted before adding more butter.
    1½ sticks Unsalted butter
    a double boiler full of bearnaise sauce being whisked
  • Once the sauce is at your desired level of thickness, remove from the heat and pour into a gravy boat. Drizzle over steak, and serve!
    bearnaise sauce poured over a freshly sliced steak

Notes

  • Bearnaise sauce isn't too hard, but it does take patience! Always make sure to cook it at as low a temperature as possible. This will keep the yolks from solidifying into scrambled eggs in butter!
  • It's extremely important to whisk the entire time the sauce is cooking. Ever a minute without whisking can create hot spots on the sides of the pan that will overcook some of the yolk and leave the sauce chunky.
  • If it's getting a little too thick, add a splash of water. Just make sure it's not hot water!
  • The quality of the eggs makes a huge difference in Hollandaise-based sauces, so if you can get them, try to get eggs from a local source. If not, high quality free-range eggs from the store are worth the price for this recipe!

Nutrition

Calories: 1408kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 148g | Saturated Fat: 91g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 40g | Trans Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 753mg | Sodium: 55mg | Potassium: 554mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 5208IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 232mg | Iron: 5mg