Total time: 15 min • Prep: 10 min • Cook: 5 min • Serves: 16 • Difficulty: Easy

A traditional French sauce, hollandaise is rich, silky-creamy, and proof that simple ingredients can combine to produce something magical. It’s delicate, made with egg yolks, fresh lemon juice, butter, and salt, and is often paired with fish, asparagus and other vegetables, and the classic eggs Benedict. If you don’t have a double boiler, place the metal bowl with the frothy eggs yolks and water over a saucepan with barely simmering water (get this started before you whisk the eggs); the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. You don’t want to eggs to get too hot or they may scramble.