Melbourne Béarnaise

Name: Melbourne Béarnaise
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: about 1½ cups (355 ml)
Cuisine: French Classic
Ingredients: 1/4 cup (typical Child) (60 ml) White Wine Vinegar; 1/4 cup dry (60 ml) White Wine; 1 Tbsp minced (10 g) Shallot; 1 1/2 Tbsp + more finish (4 g) Tarragon; 1/4 tsp cracked (0.5 g) Pepper; 3 Egg Yolk; 1/2 lb (225g) melted clarified/warm Butter; to taste Salt; optional drops Lemon Juice

Independent adaptation of a publicly published Julia Child recipe. Not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Julia Child.

Julia Child's Melbourne Béarnaise, from the published recipe.

Ratio

White Wine Vinegar 60 mlWhite Wine 60 ml

Ingredients

White Wine Vinegar — 1/4 cup (typical Child) (60 ml)
White Wine — 1/4 cup dry (60 ml)
Shallot — 1 Tbsp minced (10 g)
Tarragon — 1 1/2 Tbsp + more finish (4 g)
Pepper — 1/4 tsp cracked (0.5 g)
Egg Yolk — 3
Butter — 1/2 lb (225g) melted clarified/warm
Salt — to taste
Lemon Juice — optional drops

Method

This sauce is cooked on the stove — the jar is for storing it, not making it.
Cook ingredients gently according to the published technique, adapted here as pantry quantities only.
Finish off heat; adjust seasoning.

Companion jar

Melbourne Béarnaise wants a whisk and a stove — make it from this page.

The jar carries pour-and-shake sauces. These are its closest cousins from kitchens like this one:

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Build the companion jar

First run is small.

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Provenance

American teacher of French technique; Mastering the Art of French Cooking and The French Chef on WGBH. James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement; Cambridge kitchen preserved at Smithsonian.

Originally published as Sauce Béarnaise.

Adapted from a recipe published by Julia Child in Mastering the Art of French Cooking (classic quantities).

FAQ

Can this go in a shake jar?

No — this one needs a blender or stove, so make it from this page. Jars only carry pour-and-shake sauces — its companion jar is below.

What do the quantities mean?

Amounts follow the published recipe in household units (with metric in parentheses). On a jar, every sauce scales to the same fill height.

Where did this recipe come from?

Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking (classic quantities) (published as “Sauce Béarnaise”). Full citation lives in Provenance.

Companion jar