SOOKIE: Bob has two seconds to get the hollandaise off the flame before I break his neck!
Hollandaise sauce, a mixture of egg yolk, melted butter, and lemon juice/white wine/vinegar, usually seasoned with salt and pepper/cayenne pepper. It’s a key ingredient in eggs Benedict, and often served on vegetables such as steamed asparagus.
The name is French for “Dutch sauce”, but it’s unclear why. The first known recipe was published as “fragrant sauce” in a 1651 recipe book by Francois de la Varenne, and it’s possible he invented it. A Dutch recipe for a similar sauce was published 16 years later, which may explain the name.
When making the sauce, it’s very important not to overcook it, or you will turn it into something resembling runny scrambled egg – hence Sookie’s stress about Bob leaving it on the flame too long.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 