sauce béarnaise

/sos behr-NAYZ/
[French]

One of the classic sauces. White wine is reduced with shallots and tarragon and then cooled. Egg yolks and butter are beaten in and the mixture strained and finished with chopped tarragon and sometimes chervil. This sauce is usually served with steaks or, less commonly, with lamb. It was first made around 1830 at Saint-Germain.