Béarnaise blushed with tomato — a derivative of a derivative, and the prettiest sauce you can put beside a steak or grilled fish.
Mise en place
Before you start
Make a béarnaise: vinegar-shallot-tarragon reduction, yolks ribboned over gentle heat, warm butter emulsified in.
Warm the tomato paste in a dry pan 60 seconds to cook off its raw edge, then whisk it into the finished sauce. Season and serve immediately.
💡
Concentrated paste (not fresh tomato) keeps the emulsion thick — fresh tomato's water would loosen it toward soup.
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Airtight jar in the fridge, 3–5 days. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of starch-thickened sauces to stop a skin forming.
Freezing
Most sauces freeze 2–3 months; freeze in ice-cube trays for single portions. Emulsified butter/egg sauces don't freeze — they break on thawing.
Reheating
Reheat gently over low heat, whisking; butter- and egg-based sauces split when boiled. Loosen with a spoonful of warm water or stock.
Make ahead
Most sauces keep 3–5 days refrigerated and freeze in ice-cube trays for instant single portions. Emulsified butter sauces are best made within the hour.
Wine pairing
Follows the dish it dresses.
Beer pairing
Follows the dish it dresses.
On the plate
Serve it with
Sides
·
Poached eggs feeling fancy
Garnish
A final swirl of butter or oil
When it goes sideways
Troubleshooting
The sauce broke into oily puddles. Too much fat too fast, or too much heat. Whisk a tablespoon of warm water in a clean bowl and beat the broken sauce into it a spoonful at a time — you're starting a new emulsion and feeding it the old one.
It's too thick. Thickness means crowded, not broken — loosen with warm water a teaspoon at a time.
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