What is béarnaise essence used for?

It is a concentrated, tart essence of tarragon vinegar, white wine, herbs, and spices used as a flavor base in béarnaise sauce and other sauces. You add a little essence instead of reducing vinegar and spices every time.

How long should the essence boil?

Everything is boiled covered for 20 minutes, strained, and the strained liquid boiled a further 10 minutes in a freshly cleaned pot – about half an hour of boiling time in total.

How is it bottled and stored?

The essence is poured hot into bottles, corked at once, and sealed with wax. It then keeps for a long time in a cool, dark place.

What does the recipe contain?

1 bottle tarragon vinegar, 1/2 bottle white wine, 75 g parsley, 2 large onions, 25 g whole pepper, 25 g whole allspice, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 2 carrots, 2 lemon slices, and 2 leeks. The recipe is from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 352.

Béarnaise Essence

Name: Béarnaise Essence
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 0.75 l tarragon vinegar (1 bottle); 0.38 l white wine (1/2 bottle); 75 g parsley; 2 pcs large onions (coarsely chopped); 25 g whole pepper; 25 g whole allspice; 0.5 tsp paprika; 2 pcs carrots (sliced); 2 pcs lemon slices; 2 pcs leeks (sliced)

Béarnaise essence from Erken's Stor kokebok (1914): tarragon vinegar, white wine, parsley, onion, whole pepper, allspice, paprika, carrot, lemon, and leek boiled 20 min covered, strained, boiled 10 min more, and bottled hot.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 352 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

From the sauce chapter of "Stor kokebok" (1914). Here Erken gives a range of ready-made essences and ketchups that the housewife could make in season and use as flavoring in sauces all year. The béarnaise essence replaces the fresh tarragon reduction when making béarnaise sauce.

How to make it

1
Prepare
Wash and clean the vegetables. Coarsely chop the onion, carrots, and leek, and slice the lemon.
2
Boil the essence
Put everything in a pot along with the vinegar and white wine. Boil covered for 20 minutes.
3
Strain
Strain the essence and pour it back into a cleaned pot.
4
Reduce
Let it boil for a further 10 minutes.
5
Bottle
Pour the essence hot into bottles, cork at once, and seal the corks with wax. Store cool and dry.

Changes from the original

"Bottle" ("fl.") is interpreted as 0.75 l and given in liters; grams and teaspoons are kept in modern units. The method is divided into numbered steps, and it is specified that the vegetables should be coarsely chopped before boiling. No ingredients have been added or removed.

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Tidsmaskin – hva endret seg?

Velg to utgaver og se hva Henriette Schønberg Erken la til, fjernet eller endret mellom dem.

Fra1914 1949 Modernisert

Til1914 1949 Modernisert

1914 (korrekturlest, s. 352) → 1949 (korrekturlest, s. 389)~63% av teksten endretfjernetlagt til

1 fl. estragoneddik ½ 1/2 fl. hvitvin 75 gr. persille 2 store løk 25 gr. hel pepper 25 gr. hel ~~allehaande ½ teske~~ allehånde 1/2 teskje paprika 2 gulerøtter 2 ~~citronskiver~~ sitronskiver 2 purrer. ~~Alt haves i gryte og koker under lok i 20 minutter, siles, haves tilbake i renvasket gryte og koker i 10 minutter. Heldes varm paa flasker, korkes straks og lakkes.~~

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Frequently asked questions

What is béarnaise essence used for?: It is a concentrated, tart essence of tarragon vinegar, white wine, herbs, and spices used as a flavor base in béarnaise sauce and other sauces. You add a little essence instead of reducing vinegar and spices every time.
How long should the essence boil?: Everything is boiled covered for 20 minutes, strained, and the strained liquid boiled a further 10 minutes in a freshly cleaned pot – about half an hour of boiling time in total.
How is it bottled and stored?: The essence is poured hot into bottles, corked at once, and sealed with wax. It then keeps for a long time in a cool, dark place.
What does the recipe contain?: 1 bottle tarragon vinegar, 1/2 bottle white wine, 75 g parsley, 2 large onions, 25 g whole pepper, 25 g whole allspice, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 2 carrots, 2 lemon slices, and 2 leeks. The recipe is from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 352.

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