Easy French Béarnaise Sauce Recipe

In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the vinegar, wine, shallot, pepper, and tarragon leaves. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer the vinegar mixture until the liquid has reduced to about 2 tablespoons, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.

Fill another small saucepan or double broiler (or bain-marie) with about an inch of water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, transfer the cooled vinegar mixture to a small heatproof bowl that will fit atop the saucepan with simmering water (or the bowl of a double broiler). Add 1 tablespoon of room temperature water and the egg yolks to the vinegar mixture and whisk to combine.

Reduce heat to low and set the bowl with the egg mixture over the saucepan, making sure it doesn’t touch the water. Whisk the yolk mixture until thickened and almost doubled in volume, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the melted butter 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking slowly between each addition until emulsified. Occasionally remove the bowl from the heat to keep the sauce from overheating. Season with salt and pepper, then add the remaining tarragon and serve immediately.