What are the key ingredients in a hollandaise sauce?

In hollandaise sauce, the key ingredients are indeed eggs, butter, and lemon juice. This sauce is one of the five mother sauces in classical French cuisine, and it is known for its creamy texture and rich flavor.

The eggs used in hollandaise are typically egg yolks, which are essential because they act as an emulsifying agent. This means they help to combine and stabilize the mixture of butter and liquid, creating a smooth and creamy sauce. The butter is usually clarified, which results in a rich flavor and smooth consistency without the milk solids. The addition of lemon juice adds acidity, balancing the richness of the butter and enhancing the overall flavor profile of the sauce.

The incorrect options highlight ingredients that are not used in traditional hollandaise sauce. For instance, while butter and vinegar are often combined in some sauces, they do not belong to hollandaise. Similarly, milk and flour are basic components of a béchamel sauce, and cream and egg yolks may be found in other preparations but do not accurately describe hollandaise. Thus, the correct combination of eggs, butter, and lemon is fundamental to achieving the distinctiveness of hollandaise sauce.