Sauce Cédard builds on Hollandaise and draws its character from reduced mushrooms and chicken stock. We sear the mushrooms first, cook them down with stock and lemon juice until the liquid is concentrated, then fold them into the finished Hollandaise. The reduction is the key step: without it, the mushrooms will water down the emulsion.
We make the basic Sauce Hollandaise in the Thermomix®, with the mushrooms cooking in a frying pan at the same time. This saves time and keeps the Hollandaise warm while the mushrooms reduce. The two only come together at the very end.
Sauce Cédard with the Thermomix® (Hollandaise Variation)
Ingredients 0 / 4 ✓
- 100 g sliced mushrooms tinned or fresh
- 50 g chicken stock
- 10 g lemon juice
- 1 basic Sauce Hollandaise recipe
Instructions 0 / 2
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1
Sear the mushrooms.
Briefly sear the mushrooms in a frying pan. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice and continue to simmer until the liquid has reduced.
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2
Combine and serve.
Prepare the basic Sauce Hollandaise recipe, then gently fold in the mushrooms using the spatula and serve immediately.
Tip: This tasty variation on Sauce Hollandaise goes particularly well with asparagus, potatoes, vegetables, and hearty bakes.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why the mushrooms must be reduced first
Mushrooms release water as they cook. If we stir them straight into the Hollandaise, they dilute the emulsion and the sauce becomes too thin. So we sear them over high heat until the mushroom liquid has evaporated, then add the chicken stock and lemon juice and simmer until only a concentrated broth remains. Only then can the mushrooms safely be folded into the Hollandaise.
The chicken stock amplifies the umami in the mushrooms. Without stock, the mushrooms taste flat. The lemon juice adds acidity that contrasts with the mild Hollandaise and stops the sauce from feeling too rich.
Fresh or tinned mushrooms
Both work. Fresh mushrooms have more flavour and release more water, so the reduction takes about 2 minutes longer. Tinned mushrooms are already pre-cooked, contain less liquid, and only need a brief sear until the stock has reduced. If we use fresh ones, we slice them so they cook evenly.
Brown mushrooms bring more flavour than white ones, but they also cost more. For an everyday Sauce Cédard, white mushrooms are perfectly fine.
The Hollandaise cannot wait
Hollandaise is a warm emulsion of egg yolks and butter. It stays stable only as long as it is not heated above 65°C and does not cool below 50°C. For that reason we finish the mushroom reduction before we make the Hollandaise. We can then fold in the mushrooms straight away and serve the sauce immediately.
If the Hollandaise sits for too long, the emulsion will split. Reheating is not an option because the egg yolks curdle with too much heat. The sauce must be freshly made.
Fold gently rather than stir
We fold the reduced mushrooms into the Hollandaise using the spatula, not a whisk. The spatula moves the sauce more gently and prevents too much air from being incorporated. Air makes the sauce frothy and causes it to collapse more quickly.
The mushrooms should still be warm when we fold them in. Cold mushrooms cool the Hollandaise too much and increase the risk of the emulsion breaking.
What to serve Sauce Cédard with
We serve Sauce Cédard with green and white asparagus, boiled potatoes, steamed vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower, and bakes with a potato or pasta base. The mushroom note works especially well with mild dishes that benefit from the sauce adding character.
Sauce Cédard also works with fish or white meat, as long as the dish is not too heavily seasoned. The mushroom flavour is noticeable but not overpowering.
Sauce Cédard does not keep
The sauce must be served immediately. Hollandaise tolerates neither refrigeration nor reheating. In the fridge the emulsion splits, and when reheated the egg yolks curdle. Any leftover sauce cannot be stored.
Goes well with: Asparagus and salmon.
That is why we only make as much as we need at the time. The recipe serves 4. If we have more guests, we double the ingredients rather than the portion size per person.
Other Hollandaise variations: classic Sauce Hollandaise, Sauce Béarnaise, Tomato Hollandaise, Lime Hollandaise.
