BHA & BHT Free Fennel Béarnaise Sauce

Total time30 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time15 min

4.9

(19)

Classic béarnaise is one of those sauces that feels impossibly luxurious, and this fennel-forward version takes it somewhere even more interesting. The anise-sweet fennel bulb and fresh tarragon build a fragrant, herbaceous reduction that becomes the flavor backbone of the whole sauce. Because every ingredient here is whole and unprocessed — fresh herbs, unsalted butter, egg yolks, white grape juice — there's no need to scan labels for synthetic preservatives like BHA or BHT that sneak into so many packaged condiments and margarines. The double-boiler method gives you full control over the heat, coaxing the yolks into a silky, stable emulsion without scrambling them. Adding the butter one piece at a time is the move that transforms a simple reduction into something genuinely restaurant-worthy. Spoon it over grilled steak, roasted vegetables, or poached fish and watch it disappear fast.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the reduction

3 tbsp white grape juice
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp fresh tarragon stems, roughly chopped
2 tbsp fennel bulb, finely chopped

For the sauce

3 pasteurized egg yolks
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-tbsp pieces
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped

Instructions

1
Combine the white grape juice, water, chopped tarragon stems, and fennel in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid reduces to about 2 tablespoons, 5–7 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl, pressing the solids to extract all the liquid; discard the solids.
2
Add the pasteurized egg yolks to the strained reduction in the heatproof bowl and whisk until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened.

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