Chicken 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 backbone of the whole sauce — bright, aromatic, and a little unexpected. Pasteurized egg yolks are whisked into that strained reduction, then coaxed over a gentle double boiler until silky and thick, before cold butter goes in one piece at a time until everything turns glossy and rich. Since the entire recipe is built on eggs, butter, fresh herbs, and a splash of white grape juice, there is nothing here that relies on poultry stock, poultry fat, or any meat-based ingredient — it is naturally free of those concerns without any substitutions required. The result is a sauce that clings beautifully to a spoon and tastes like something you would order at a bistro, made entirely in your own kitchen. Spoon it over roasted vegetables, grilled fish, or a perfectly seared steak 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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