--- title: "Béarnaise: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates" description: "Béarnaise is a warm butter sauce of egg yolks and a tarragon and shallot vinegar reduction. It is the classic sauce for steak and is easy to split." url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bearnaise" --- # Béarnaise Béarnaise is a warm butter sauce of egg yolks and a tarragon and shallot vinegar reduction. It is the classic sauce for steak and is easy to split. Also called Bearnaise, Bearnaise sauce, Sauce béarnaise. Béarnaise is a rich, warm sauce made from egg yolks and melted butter, flavored with a sharp reduction of vinegar, white wine, shallot and tarragon. It is a close relative of [hollandaise](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/hollandaise), which uses lemon instead of the herb reduction. It is best known as the sauce for steak and fries. ## How to do it 1. In a small pan, simmer 60 ml (1/4 cup) white wine vinegar, 60 ml (1/4 cup) dry white wine, 1 finely chopped shallot, a few crushed peppercorns and 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon until about 2 tablespoons of liquid remain. This is the [reduction](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/reduce). Strain it and let it cool slightly. 2. Put 3 egg yolks and the reduction in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, a [bain-marie](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bain-marie). 3. Whisk until the yolks are pale, thick and hold a trail, about 2 to 4 minutes. 4. Off the heat, whisk in 175 g (3/4 cup) of warm melted or clarified butter, a little at a time. 5. Stir in fresh chopped tarragon and a little chervil if you have it. Season with salt. ## How to tell it is done The sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, smooth and glossy, and holds its shape briefly when dropped on a plate. It should be warm, not hot. ## Why it works The yolks hold small drops of butter in the watery reduction, forming an [emulsion](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/emulsion). Gentle heat thickens the yolk proteins so the sauce has body. Too much heat scrambles them. ## Common mistakes * Heating the yolks too hard. Once they pass about 70°C (160°F) they start to scramble, and the sauce turns grainy. * Adding butter too fast, which makes the sauce [split](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/split-sauce). If it does, whisk a fresh yolk with a spoon of warm water and slowly whisk the broken sauce into it. * Letting it sit over heat. Keep it warm in a bowl over warm, not simmering, water and use it within an hour. * Skipping the reduction. Without it the sauce tastes flat. ## In recipes "Sauce béarnaise" or "béarnaise" on a steak recipe means this sauce. "Choron sauce" is béarnaise with tomato added. ## Béarnaise recipes 1 recipe from the sites we collect. * [![](https://www.onceuponachef.com/images/2024/05/Bearnaise-Sauce-17-scaled.jpg)Béarnaise Saucewww.onceuponachef.com · 20 min](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/bearnaise-sauce.html) ## Related terms * [HollandaiseHollandaise is a warm sauce of egg yolks, butter and lemon, whisked into a smooth emulsion. It is the sauce on eggs Benedict and asparagus, and can split.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/hollandaise) * [EmulsionAn emulsion is a mix of oil and water, which normally do not blend, held together as tiny drops. Mayonnaise and vinaigrette are emulsions.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/emulsion) * [Split sauceA split sauce is an emulsion, like mayonnaise or hollandaise, that has separated into fat and thin liquid. Here is why it happens and how to fix it.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/split-sauce) * [ReduceTo reduce is to simmer or boil a liquid uncovered so water evaporates, leaving a smaller amount that is thicker and more intense in flavor.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/reduce) * [Bain-marieA bain-marie is a hot water bath that cooks or melts food gently, such as custards, cheesecakes and chocolate. Here is how to set one up.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bain-marie) [More in sauces and stocks](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/sauces-and-stocks)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)