Why It Works
- Using an immersion blender makes it totally easy to form what can otherwise be a difficult sauce.
- A basic tomato purée made from fresh tomatoes adds a bright, sweet flavor.
The beauty of French mother sauces is just that: They have children. Béchamel, for instance, becomes silky, cheesy Mornay sauce with the addition of Gruyère, orsoubisewhen cooked with onions (although I actually prefer a more modern version of soubise, with just cream and no béchamel).
Sadly, we don't take advantage of this fact nearly often enough. Most of us know that Hollandaise, the emulsified butter sauce with lemon and egg yolks, can be made into Béarnaise, which is flavored with wine vinegar, tarragon, shallots, and black pepper. But how many of us expand beyond that? I'd like to encourage that today by sharing a recipe for another Hollandaise derivative: Choron sauce.
Choron is nothing more than Hollandaise or Béarnaise with tomato added to it, but that addition does more than just turn it a pretty color. It adds a tomatoey sweetness that isn't too different from what ketchup does to mayo when you make Russian dressing. That's actually a really good way to think of Choron; it's like a somewhat fancier, warm alternative to Russian dressing.
You can eat it with almost anything: cooked vegetables, fish, eggs, chicken, beef. In the photos here, I'm serving it with a nicely seared steak. It all starts with a Béarnaise base, and I usedKenji's foolproof immersion-blender methodto do it.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2016__08__20160817-steak-choron-sauce-vicky-wasik-1-561e481ea2724ac88ab1b7d52e1322ee.jpg "Choron Sauce (Tomato-Spiked Béarnaise Sauce) Recipe (1)")
You start in the classic fashion, by reducing white wine vinegar and white wine with shallots, black peppercorns, and tarragon until syrupy. Then you strain out the solids and combine that reduction with egg yolks in a tall, narrow vessel.
While an immersion blender whirs away, you slowly drizzle in melted butter to form a thick, mayo-like emulsion. Add some minced tarragon, and that takes care of the Béarnaise. To turn it into Choron, simply stir in some tomato purée or other thick tomato sauce.
In my recipe, I'm using myeasy cooked tomatocoulis, which is just a fancy word for a basic, plain tomato sauce (although the recipe can also easily be made using tomato paste instead to save time; see the notes section below for instructions on that). Itested multiple ways of making coulisand settled on a method in which you cut the tomatoes into chunks, simmer them down for several minutes, then strain out the skins and seeds with a food mill or mesh strainer. If the coulis is a little loose, just cook it down until it thickens slightly, to more of a purée consistency.
The last step is just to taste the sauce: You may find that it needs another splash of white wine vinegar to balance the extra sweetness the tomato introduces, so adjust accordingly. Then keep it warm until you're ready to serve it.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2016__08__20160817-steak-choron-sauce-vicky-wasik-8-7c15660803f94bd19ae1dfba029b6322.jpg "Choron Sauce (Tomato-Spiked Béarnaise Sauce) Recipe (2)")
Choron will put a face on your steak—or whatever you're serving—that any mother (sauce) would love.
September 2016
This recipe was cross-tested in 2024 and lightly updated for best results.
Recipe Details
Choron Sauce (Tomato-Spiked Béarnaise Sauce)
Prep15 mins
Cook40 mins
Active35 mins
Total55 mins
Serves8 servings
Makes1 cup
Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds (567g) ripe plum tomatoes (about 6 to 7 medium plum tomatoes), diced (about 3 to 3 1/4 cups), see notes
1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine
1/4 cup (60ml) white wine vinegar
3 sprigs chervil, leaves finely minced, stems reserved separately (optional; if not using add an extra sprig of tarragon)
3 sprigs tarragon, leaves finely minced, stems reserved separately
1 small shallot (1.2 ounces; 33g), roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 large egg yolks
Kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (12 tablespoons; 6 ounces; 170g)
Directions
In a medium saucepan, heat tomatoes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to release their liquid, 3 to 5 minutes. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until much of the excess liquid has cooked off but the tomatoes aren't totally dry, 10 to 15 minutes.
Transfer tomatoes and any juices to a fine-mesh strainer. Strain the tomatoes of seeds and skin, pushing all the pulp and juices through; use a wooden spoon and a scraping motion to pass the tomato flesh through into a bowl below; you should have about 3/4 cup.
Place strained tomato in a medium non-stick skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until deeper red in color, thickened, and reduced to 1/2 cup, about 2 to 4 minutes. Set aside.
Combine wine, vinegar, herb stems, shallots, and black peppercorns in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until reduced to about 1 1/2 tablespoons of liquid, 10 to 20 minutes. Carefully strain liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.
Combine wine reduction, egg yolks, and a pinch of salt in the bottom of a tall cup or container that barely fits the head of an immersion blender. Cook butter in a small saucepan over high heat, swirling constantly, until melted and foaming subsides. Transfer butter to a 1-cup liquid measuring cup.
Place head of immersion blender into the bottom of the cup with the wine reduction and turn it on. With the blender constantly running, slowly pour hot butter into cup. It should emulsify with the egg yolk and wine reduction. Continue pouring until all butter is added. Sauce should be thick and creamy (see notes). Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup tomato puree, blending until evenly combined and desired color and flavor is reached. Season to taste with salt. Stir in chopped tarragon and chervil, if using. Serve immediately, or transfer to a small lidded pot and keep in a warm place for up to 1 hour before serving. Béarnaise cannot be cooled and reheated.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2016__08__20160817-steak-choron-sauce-vicky-wasik-collage-a2a1d4cb89894c91b44aa2f232b91d48.jpg "Choron Sauce (Tomato-Spiked Béarnaise Sauce) Recipe (3)")
Special Equipment
Immersion blender, tall container that fits blender head, small saucepan, fine-mesh strainer, small lidded pot (optional)
Notes
- You can also substitute 2 tablespoons (32g) tomato paste instead of the reduced fresh tomato puree in this recipe. Skip the tomato puree cooking steps, make béarnaise as directed, and add tomato paste in place of the puree in Step 6.
- If your sauce is thin and runny, transfer to a large bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly and vigorously until sauce is thickened.
- French
- Vegetarian
- Tomato
