Celery Free Béarnaise Sauce
Few sauces command as much respect at the dinner table as a properly made béarnaise, with its glossy, velvety texture and the bright, anise-like perfume of fresh tarragon running through every spoonful. The process starts with a sharp reduction of white wine, white wine vinegar, shallots, and cracked black pepper that gets cooked down to an intensely flavored couple of tablespoons — the backbone of everything that follows. Clarifying the butter is a key move here, stripping away the milk solids so the emulsion stays stable and the sauce achieves that signature rich, clean finish. Whisking the yolks over a gentle bain-marie until they reach a safe 160°F gives you the food-safe foundation you need before the warm butter goes in drop by drop, building a sauce that's thick enough to coat a spoon with a clean, confident line. The good news for anyone avoiding celery is that this classic French sauce is naturally free of it — no hidden aromatics, no mirepoix, just shallots, herbs, butter, and wine doing all the heavy lifting. A finishing fold of finely chopped fresh tarragon and optional chervil keeps the flavor bright and herbaceous right up until it hits the plate. Spoon it over a seared steak, grilled fish, or roasted vegetables and watch it disappear fast.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the reduction
- 3 tbsp dry white wine
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 medium shallots, finely minced
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, roughly chopped (for reduction)
- ¼ tsp black pepper, coarsely cracked
For the sauce
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 3 pasteurized egg yolks
- 1 tbsp cold water
- ¼ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped (for finishing)
- 1 tsp fresh chervil, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the white wine, white wine vinegar, minced shallots, roughly chopped tarragon, and cracked black pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tbsp, 5–7 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all the liquid; discard the solids. Let the reduction cool for 2–3 minutes until no longer steaming.
- 2
Melt the butter in the small saucepan over medium-low heat, then increase the heat slightly and cook until the foam subsides and the milk solids settle to the bottom, about 5 minutes. Skim off any foam from the surface. Carefully pour the clear golden butter into a liquid measuring cup or small pitcher, leaving the white milk solids behind in the pan; discard the solids. Keep the clarified butter warm.
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