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Bearnaise Sauce is wonderful on most types of seafood, and equally as good on meats and poultry.
In his Les Halles Cookbook Anthony Bourdain said something like, “Bearnaise can smell fear.” It’s true! If you haven’t made it before, be confident and pay attention, or the sauce will break on you. Pay careful attention to the bowl the sauce is in, if you need a towel to hold it, it’s probably too hot. You will learn an instinct as to when to pull the bowl from the heat after making it quite a few times.
In my humble opinion the best way to learn this sauce is to really mess it up once, you’ll make it right every time afterward.

Bearnaise Sauce Recipe

2 tsp Tarragon Vinegar
2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
3 Egg Yolks
2 tsp Finely Chopped Tarragon
1/2 Cup Clarified Butter, warm
Kosher Salt & Cayenne Pepper
1 Dash Hot Sauce
A few drops Worcestershire Sauce

Place the vinegar, lemon juice, and egg yolks in the top deck of a double boiler. The water in the lower deck should be hot but not boiling.
Whisk slowly until you see the yolks start to coagulate on the sides. If the pan gets too hot, remove it from the heat for a minute, whisking constantly.
Whisk while cooking, minding the bowl temperature, until the yolks are lighter in color and do not leave yellow streaks when the whisk goes through them. If you see any signs of scrambling, remove the bowl from the heat.
When the yolk/acid mixture is good and thick, remove from the heat, add the Tarragon, and slowly drizzle in the clarified butter, whisking constantly, until incorporated.
Add the hot and worcestershire sauces, and season to taste with the salt & cayenne. I also like to add a squeeze more of lemon juice here also.

If the sauce is a little too thick, you can thin it down with a few splashes of hot water.

Makes about 2/3 Cup

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Here is my version of a Creole Mustard Vinaigrette, which I love for an accompaniment salad for Red Beans & Rice.
Creole Mustard can be found most anywhere these days, Zatarain’s makes a good one which is widely available. If you do need to substitute, use a good quality coarse ground mustard and add a touch of prepared horseradish.

Creole Mustard Vinaigrette Recipe

3 Tablespoons Creole Mustard (I like Zatarain’s)
2 Tablespoons Thinly Sliced Green Onions
2 teaspoons Honey
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
Cayenne and Kosher Salt to taste

Whisk this up.

While whisking, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of Vegetable or Canola oil until emulsified.

Makes a little over a 1/2 Cup.

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From Nola Cuisine Images – (reedited)

I think I’ve made my affection for Red Beans & Rice abundantly clear, and this soup is just as near and dear to my heart. All of the wonderful flavors of a pot of Red Beans in soup form, fantastic!
I use Pickle Meat in my recipe, because Red Beans without it, standard or in soup form, just isn’t quite right to me without the acidity that the Pickle Meat lends. I also used sliced Andouille, and I just can’t tell you how wonderful that last batch tastes.

Red Bean Soup Recipe

1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
2 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
1 Cup Onion, chopped
1/2 Cup Bell Pepper, chopped
1/4 Cup Celery, Chopped
1 Cup Andouille Sausage, thinly sliced
1/2 lb Small Red Kidney Beans (soaked overnight or for at least a few hours)
1 Cup Pickle Meat, Cubed
1 Tbsp Fresh Garlic, Minced
10 Cups Chicken Stock (You could certainly use water)
3 Fresh Bay Leaves
1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce
1 Tbsp Italian Parsley, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced on the bias
Hot Sauce to taste
Worcestershire Sauce to taste

Mix together the Holy Trinity (Onions, Celery, Bell Pepper). Drain the beans.
Melt the butter over medium heat.
Add 3/4 of the Holy Trinity, 1 Tbsp of the Creole Seasoning, turn the heat to medium high. Cook this for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables start to get some color.
Add the beans and cook stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid from the vegetables is absorbed.
Add the Chicken Stock or Water, Pickle Meat, Andouille, Garlic, Bay Leaves, the remaining Trinity and Creole Seasoning. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let this simmer for 2- 2 1/2 Hours.
After the beans have cooked for two hours, add the Tomato Sauce, Parsley, Hot Sauce, Worcestershire, and 1/2 of the Green Onions. Cook the beans for another half hour. Puree 1/3 of the soup, being sure to avoid any pieces of Andouille, and bay leaves.

As is the case with most soups, if you make this a day ahead, the flavors will be immensely better. Add additional stock or water if necessary, it should not be too thick.

To Serve:
Remove the Bay Leaves. Serve with good crusty French Bread, and your favorite ice cold beer.

Other Red Bean Recipes:

Red Beans & Rice (with Andouille & Tasso)
Red Beans & Rice with Pickle Meat and Fried Pork Chops

Other Soup Recipes:

Pumpkin Soup with Andouille & Tasso
Turtle Soup Recipe

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