Hollandaise Sauce

Method

1. Melt 50 g of unsalted butter in a small pan over the lowest heat without letting it colour. Skim the white foam from the surface and let it stand a minute so the milky solids settle; pour off the clear yellow butter into a jug and discard the solids. Keep it warm, around blood heat.
2. In a small pan combine 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp of water, 3 lightly crushed black peppercorns and 1 tsp of finely chopped shallot. Bring to a simmer and reduce for 2-3 minutes until about 2 tsp of liquid remains. Strain through a fine sieve into a round-bottomed heatproof bowl and let it cool for a minute.
3. Set a small pan of water to a bare simmer, no bubbles breaking hard. Whisk 1 egg yolk into the cooled reduction until smooth, then set the bowl over the pan, making sure the base does not touch the water.