Recipe: Healthy Hollandaise sauce

Sauces are the accessories of the food world. They transform a plain recipe into a memorable meal the same way an artfully tied scarf elevates my pajamas to "carpool casual." Sauce is why I will cheerfully pay $23 for Eggs Benedict, even though you can buy two eggs and an English muffin with parking meter change. Unfortunately, sauces are often relegated to the side when we try to eat more healthfully. As I stared at my sad, dry Sunday brunch plate, I decided to take matters into my own hands and make a healthy hollandaise.

Traditional hollandaise is made from egg yolks and a deliciously outrageous amount of melted butter. I skipped both and creamed half of an avocado to get all of the richness with none of the cholesterol. It’s vitally important that you choose a ripe avocado; if it’s under-ripe, your hollandaise will taste bitter. If your avocado is mushy, or the skin under the stem is brown and sunken, it is regrettably past its prime and better suited for making chocolate avocado mousse. A perfect avocado gives just a little when you press it, like an honest fashion critique from a trusted friend. Because avocados are tricky tricksters, yours will likely reach its ideal ripeness on the one evening you haven’t planned to cook. If that happens, toss it in the refrigerator to slow the ripening process for a day or two.

After creaming the avocado, I added lemon juice and Dijon mustard, as well as fresh herbs for brightness. I like dill, which is fragrant but doesn’t overpower the other flavors. Tarragon and mint are good options as well. Fresh herbs are the tastiest, but have a very limited shelf life. If yours have turned as brown as that chocolate avocado mousse, use a sprinkle of dried herbs and move on.

At this point, my recipe was more of a zesty guacamole than a sauce. I needed to add a thick liquid, one that would fit with my plant-based approach. Enter aquafaba, which is the fancy foodie name for the liquid in a can of chickpeas. Now, don’t stop reading because I promise you, aquafaba is really cool. It’s water, but water that contains the carbohydrates and protein it has absorbed from the legumes. Those lovely nutrients allow the aquafaba to thicken when you beat it with a mixer. I got the most hollandaise-y texture by mixing my aquafaba for 4 minutes, adding the avocado and other ingredients, and mixing again for 3 more minutes. If that feels like one step too many, you can whip all of the ingredients at once. You’ll get the same fresh, green taste, but with a thinner consistency. Aquafaba is also a wonderful emulsifier, so your healthy hollandaise won’t separate, even if you make it a day in advance.

I was tickled to discover that this healthy hollandaise is more versatile than the traditional version. Not only is it delicious over asparagus and broccoli, it also serves as a vegan “cream” for creamed spinach. Add a little less aquafaba, and it works as a dairy-free sandwich spread. Add a little more, and it becomes a tangy, low-calorie salad dressing. And I think you’ll agree, no cholesterol and lower calories always look good.