Lactose Free Fennel Béarnaise Sauce

Total time30 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time15 min

4.9

(19)

Béarnaise is one of those sauces that feels impossibly luxurious — silky, buttery, and fragrant with fresh tarragon — and this version layers in the subtle anise sweetness of fennel for something even more interesting. The reduction is built from white grape juice, water, chopped tarragon stems, and finely diced fennel bulb, which gets simmered down and strained into a concentrated, aromatic base before the egg yolks ever hit the bowl. From there, it's a classic double-boiler emulsion: pasteurized yolks whisked over gentle heat until thickened, then finished with cold butter added one piece at a time until the sauce turns glossy and spoonable. Because the richness here comes entirely from egg yolks and unsalted butter rather than any cream or milk, there's no dairy sugar to worry about — just pure, clean fat that emulsifies beautifully. The fresh tarragon leaves stirred in at the end keep the herb flavor bright rather than cooked-out, and the fennel note makes the whole thing feel a little unexpected in the best way. Spoon it over grilled steak, roasted fish, or steamed vegetables and it will absolutely steal the show.

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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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