So this month Artichokes are in season. I personally have a love hate relationship with artichokes. I love how easy they are to prepare. However, their flavor by themselves has little to be desired as they tend to be pretty bland to the pallet. The thing I think redeems artichokes, beside the fact that it’s fun to peel back the leaves, is that they make awesome dipping vessels. The artichoke is nature’s natural scoop, perfect for shoveling massive amounts of whatever dip or sauce you have made to go with them without altering the flavor all that much.

When I was dating my wife (what seems like forever ago) her family introduced me to the pairing of the artichoke and hollandaise sauce. Ever since then I have not been able to find a better dip or sauce to replace it! The sweet and tangy flavor of the hollandaise sauce melds perfectly with the slightly bland nutty flavor of the artichoke.

A classic hollandaise sauce is a rich egg yolk based sauce that is flavored with lemon or vinegar or in my case both. Hollandaise sauce is typically served with vegetables fish or eggs (it’s the secret ingredient in Eggs Benedict). This sauce seems as though it should be pretty simple and straight forward to make. Simply use a double boiler to thicken the egg yolks as you add water, butter, vinegar, lemon juice and salt. But don’t be deceived! These pretty simple directions cause one to believe that hollandaise sauce can be prepared without much thought. However, if you let the water begin to boil or add the ingredients too quickly you can easily end up with a curdled or separated mess!

Allowing the water to boil in your double boiler (I know that pretty much defeats the purpose) will cause your sauce to curdle (don’t you love that about eggs?). If you add the ingredients too quick your sauce begins to separate leaving you with an oily slop resembling that of oil on water (if you have ever prepared this sauce before chances are you know what I am talking about)! Well fear hollandaise sauce no more! I’m here today to alleviate all of your hollandaise sauce nightmares.

Now, for the good news; if your sauce has begun to separate or curdle you can still save it! What? That’s impossible you say? Well you’re partially right. If your sauce has begun to curdle your options are pretty limited. You can start over (which I guess would probably ruin your day), or you can use a short cut and use a blender to blend it. Now the texture will be a little bit different depending now how curdled you let it get but this way but you can still salvage your sanity.

The real saver is what to do if your sauce begins to separate. You can salvage this mess and no one will be the wiser! Simply add 1 or 2 tablespoons of whipping cream and beat the sauce with a whisk until it becomes smooth again. You will have saved the day and feel like a superhero when you are done! Well at least that’s how I felt.

Classic Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons boiling water
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in the microwave and keep it warm.
2. In a separate bowl heat the vinegar and lemon juice until just warmed.
3. In a small saucepan boil water.
4. Using a double boiler whisk together the egg yolks begin to thicken. Slowly add 1 tablespoon of the boiling water and beat constantly until sauce beings to thicken. Repeat this process until 4 tablespoons of water have been added.
5. Slowly add the warmed vinegar and lemon juice and briskly beat with a whisk. Remove the double boiler from the water and continue to beat the mixture as you slowly pour in the melted butter. Finish by adding the salt again beating the sauce until it is thick.

As the weekend nears I decided that I was deserving of a little treat. Heck I worked hard this week and even though I am a day early the weekend starts today!

I had some left over homemade vanilla ice cream (which recipe I will hopefully share with you at a later date) and decided that it was time for it to meet its maker (literally, as I was technically its maker). But I didn’t want this vanilla ice cream to feel unloved, so I wanted to make a sauce to jazz it up a bit (a farewell party of sorts).

I have long loved making this easy to make sauce anytime I have a craving for a sweet ice cream topper. However, the best part of this sauce is that it can be used to top so much more then ice cream! The simplicity of this sauce will call out to you every time you are looking for something to sweeten up your next dessert.

I have used this on desserts ranging from meringue to angel food cake and everything in between (including brownies be creative people!). One little trick that I have learned and recommend you do too; is to store it in your refrigerator for a couple of hours after you make it. I do this because the longer this sauce sits the sweeter and thicker it becomes! Almost like a fine wine (with obvious limitations of course). Warm it in the microwave just before use and you will have the perfect berry sauce to create a warm and gooey treat!

Brandied Berry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 1 pint fresh raspberries
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brandy

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F

Place the strawberries, raspberries and blueberries in a medium sized Pyrex dish. Spread the sugar evenly over the top. Finally, poor the brandy over the sugar covered fruit. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the refrigerator to cool.

With today being the frist day of spring and the weather has finally started to climb I wanted to make a recipe that brings me the sweet wisperings of my favorite time of year. Spring is the time of hope and promise to new beginnings as flowers begin to bloom and trees begin to bud. I made this recipe a while ago when navel oranges were back in season and it provided me with fantastic results! I have long loved the deep contrast of citrus and the nutty sweet flavor of caramel and this recipe combines these flavor combinations perfectly. If you are like me and thrilled that spring has finally arrived then this dessert should be at the top your list.

Carmalized Oranges with Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:

• 8 Navel Oranges
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Juice 3 oranges into a cup. Strain out pulp.
2. Combine sugar and water in a heavy sauce pan and bring to a boil over moderate heat.
3. Boil until sugar crystals begin to caramelize and caramel begins to turn golden brown around the edges. This should take approximately 8-10 minutes.
4. While tilting pan away from you slowly add the orange juice. The caramel will harden and steam vigorously).
5. Stir until caramel is completely dissolved and remove from heat.
6. Cut peal and pith away from the remaining oranges. Then quarter.
7. Heat butter in a nonstick skillet until hot but not smoking. Add orange slices and cook. Turning once and cook until golden.
8. Melt chocolate in a microwave until smooth.
9. Plate the oranges and cover with caramel sauce and melted chocolate.