Hollandaise

Hollandaise, celebrate, it would be so nice.

Hollandaise sauce might be one of the 5 most delicious things ever invented. Whether you are making Eggs Benedict or just sprucing up some steamed asparagus, its a nice way to impress houseguests.

 Just be careful with it, and make it at the last minute.

You need a wire whisk to do the beating here. Don't mess around with a fork.

The recipe has a lot of steps, but it isn't too complicated. It will make a cup of hollandaise.

1. Get two pots of water ready. One should be brought to a boil, the other should be be heated below boiling point and should be able to fit a double boiler.

2. Melt a stick of butter and set it aside. (You might want to use clarified butter, if it is a muggy day. Otherwise, regular old butter works.)

3. Put 1 1/2 Tablespoons of lemon juice in a tiny nesting bowl, and set that aside.

4. Put 3 egg YOLKS in the double boiler over the hot water. The water should not be boiling and the double boiler should not be touching the hot water.

5. Beat those yolks until they thicken a bit.

6. Remember that boiling water? Grab a Tablespoon of it and dump it in your eggs.

7. Beat those yolks until they thicken a bit.

8. Add another tablespoon of the boiling water to the yolks.

9. Beat those yolks until they thicken a bit.

10. Add another tablespoon of boiling water to the yolks.

11. Beat those yolks until they thicken a bit.

12. Add another tablespoon of boiling water to the yolks.

13. Beat those yolks until they thicken a bit.

14. Now throw the lemon juice into the yolks and take it off the heat.

15. Keep beating it with the wire whisk while adding the melted stick of butter.

16. Throw in a hint of salt and a tiny bit of cayenne.

17. Keep beating until it is thick, and serve it right away.

There is a cheater way to make hollandaise, but I never tried it, personally. Y'all are welcome to, and tell me how it goes.

a. Get a blender.

b. Drop in 3 egg yolks, 2 Tablespoons of Lemon juice, a touch of salt and a tiny bit of cayenne.

c. Put the lid on it

d. Microwave a stick of butter until it bubbles.

e. Blend the stuff in the blender on HIGH for a few seconds.

f. Take the lid off the blender while blending and slowly pour the hot butter over it.

e. When the butter is poured the sauce should be done.

Buttermilk Pancakes

Buttermilk pancakes are, in some ways, simpler than plain pancakes. The ingredients are less likely to be in the average home, but it is a lot easier to get a good color on buttermilk pancakes.

This recipe, done plainly, tastes just like McDonald's Hotcakes. If this isn't a good thing for you, add a little vanilla to the wet ingredients or cinnamon to the dry or something else to change things up.

1. Whisk together 1 cup of cake flour with 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, just under 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. You can sift these together if you want to be all fancy, but it will still work if you are lazy and don't want to take the time to buy a sifter and subsequently try to use it and clean it.

2. In a separate bowl beat an egg. Just a little bit. Until it is light.

3. Add to the egg 1 cup of buttermilk and 2 Tablespoons melted (unsalted) butter.

4. Combine the wet with the dry with as few strokes as possible.

5. Cook them like you'd cook the plain pancakes.

Plain Pancakes

Most pancakes require something special, like buttermilk or corn meal or a crêpe pan. If it is Sunday morning, and you have none of these things, you can probably still make pancakes.  Here is a recipe where baking powder is the most exotic ingredient.

1. Sift 1 1/2 cups flour.
2. Sift it again with 1 TSP salt, 3 TBSP sugar and a heaping 1/2 TBSP of baking powder.
3. In a separate bowl melt 3 TBSPs butter in the microwave.
4. Pour 1 1/4 cups milk into the butter.
5. Looks weird doesn't it?
6. Slightly beat 2 eggs and mix them into the milk.
7. Quickly mix the wet ingredients into the dry quickly. Don't overmix it; it should be slightly lumpy.
8. Cook the pancakes in a frying pan. The pan should be hot first, and greased.

EXTRAS!
-Finding the perfect temperature usually takes a pancake or two.
-Pancakes are ready to flip when the bubbles start to stiffen.
-If you want uniform pancakes, use a small, dry measuring cup. 1/4 cup size usually works for me.
 -You can use as little as 1 cup milk or only 1 egg and they still come out as pancakes. Shocking, no! See what works for you!