Choron Sauce (Tomato-Spiked Béarnaise Sauce) Recipe (2024)

  • French
  • Vegetarian
  • Tomato

Made by blending tomato purée with rich and tangy Béarnaise, this sauce is the perfect addition to your next steak.

By

Daniel Gritzer

Choron Sauce (Tomato-Spiked Béarnaise Sauce) Recipe (1)

Daniel Gritzer

Senior Culinary Director

Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.

Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process

Updated April 14, 2023

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Choron Sauce (Tomato-Spiked Béarnaise Sauce) Recipe (2)

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 change that just slightly 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.

Choron Sauce (Tomato-Spiked Béarnaise Sauce) Recipe (3)

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. 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.

Choron will put a face on your steak—or whatever you're serving—that any mother (sauce) would love.

September 2016

Recipe Details

Choron Sauce (Tomato-Spiked Béarnaise Sauce) Recipe

Active35 mins

Total35 mins

Serves16 servings

Makes2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 recipefoolproof Béarnaise sauce

  • 1/4 cup quick-cooked tomato coulis(see note)

  • White wine vinegar, to taste

Directions

  1. As soon as you finish making the Béarnaise, add the tomato coulis and blend with an immersion blender until completely incorporated. Taste sauce; if the added sweetness of the tomato requires it, add more vinegar to taste until sauce is well balanced. (It should be sweet, with a subtle but noticeable tartness.) Keep warm until ready to serve.

    Choron Sauce (Tomato-Spiked Béarnaise Sauce) Recipe (5)

Special Equipment

Strainer or food mill, immersion blender

Notes

If your tomato coulis (i.e., the purée) is a little bit thin, reduce it by gently simmering it in a nonstick skillet until it forms a slightly thicker purée; use a full 1/4 cup of that reduced purée. You can also substitute 2 tablespoons tomato paste for the 1/4 cup tomato coulis.

Read More

  • Green Peppercorn Pan Sauce
  • Horseradish Cream Sauce
  • Charred Asparagus With Miso Béarnaise Sauce
  • Ultra-Smashed Brunch Burgers With Quick Jalapeño Hollandaise Recipe
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
137Calories
15g Fat
1g Carbs
1g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories137
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g19%
Saturated Fat 9g45%
Cholesterol 73mg24%
Sodium 171mg7%
Total Carbohydrate 1g0%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 1mg4%
Calcium 16mg1%
Iron 0mg2%
Potassium 44mg1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Choron Sauce (Tomato-Spiked Béarnaise Sauce) Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What do you add to béarnaise sauce to make it cohron sauce? ›

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.

What is Choron sauce made of? ›

A Choron sauce is defined as a Béarnaise sauce with the addition of a tomato product, usually a tomato paste. There are many different tomato products out there that you can substitute for my Smoked Tomato Confit from fresh diced tomatoes and ketchup, to tomato based BBQ sauce and Sofrito.

What are the ingredients in a Béarnaise sauce? ›

Ingredients
  1. ¼cup white-wine vinegar.
  2. 1small shallot, peeled and minced.
  3. ½teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper.
  4. 1tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped tarragon leaves.
  5. 2egg yolks.
  6. 12tablespoons unsalted butter, melted.
  7. Kosher salt, to taste.
  8. Splash of lemon juice, optional.

What's the difference between bearnaise and hollandaise sauce? ›

It's what happens next that sets them apart: Hollandaise gets its acidity from lemon juice (sometimes vinegar) and is usually seasoned with salt, white pepper, and cayenne pepper. Béarnaise, meanwhile, builds upon hollandaise with white wine vinegar, shallots, tarragon, and other fresh herbs.

What do you eat bearnaise sauce with? ›

Béarnaise sauce is commonly paired with grilled fish or steak, but it's just as delicious on roasted vegetables or eggs Benedict. Spoon this silky, herby sauce over roasted asparagus, steamed broccoli, or grilled mushrooms for a sophisticated dinner party side.

How do you stabilize bearnaise sauce? ›

Blending hot butter into the vinegar and egg yolk mixture instead of whisking it over a double boiler makes for a foolproof and stable emulsion every time. Using a tall container that barely fits the head of a hand blender creates a strong vortex that leads to a strong, stable emulsion.

Do Italians in Italy put sugar in their tomato sauce? ›

It is widely held that Italian immigrants began adding sugar to their sauce to make up for the overly acidic tomatoes they were forced to work with in their new home. But the history of sugar in pasta sauce actually goes back to Italy itself.

What mother sauce does béarnaise come from? ›

Hollandaise is what is known as a French mother sauce, meaning it can be used to make a range of other sauces, including béarnaise. Béarnaise sauce builds on hollandaise with egg yolks, butter, white wine vinegar, shallots, and tarragon.

What is tomato sauce called in Italy? ›

Sugo di Pomodoro (Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce)

What makes bearnaise sauce break? ›

A broken sauce is generally caused by the separation of sauces into two components: a watery liquid and an oily film on top. This happens when there's too much fat or liquid in the mixture. This can happen when there are not enough emulsifiers (which help keep your ingredients together).

Which of the following is essential when making bearnaise sauce? ›

To make Béarnaise Sauce, you need: white wine vinegar, white wine, butter (which we clarify – more on this below), egg yolks, tarragon, chervil and eschalots/shallots (the small sweet onions sometimes called French eschalots.)

What is béarnaise instead of hollandaise sauce? ›

You can use bearnaise sauce instead of hollandaise in eggs Benedict and eggs Florentine. This will give the dish a more savoury, herby flavour as opposed to the citrusy flavour in hollandaise sauce. Bearnaise sauce is also wonderful over vegetables. We love it with broccoli!

What does bearnaise sauce taste like? ›

Irresistibly creamy, buttery, and rich, Béarnaise combines an herby, slightly acidic reduction of white wine, vinegar, shallots, fresh tarragon, and lemon juice with hollandaise to make a luscious sauce for spooning over grilled steak, chicken, fish, or vegetables.

Why is Hollandaise sauce difficult? ›

Traditional hollandaise, made by emulsifying melted clarified butter into egg yolks and lemon juice, is notoriously difficult to make. You not only have to take the same care in its construction as you take for oil-in-egg-yolk mayonnaise, but you also have to deal with the fickle nature of hot eggs and butter.

How do you're emulsify béarnaise? ›

directions
  1. Put egg yolk in a clean bowl.
  2. Whisk it then add the broken sauce drop by drop with continuing to whisk. If you don't have 3 hands or a way to hold the bowl still, you may want someone to help you.
  3. Whisk until the sauce is creamy and hom*ogeneous.
  4. Thin as needed with a splash of water.

How do you keep bearnaise sauce from separating? ›

While cooking, keeping the heat low and slow can keep your sauce happy and together! Add a little fat back––a classic emulsified sauce is typically a 1:1 ratio of fat to liquid! If your sauce is breaking but is also very thin, vigorously whisking in a little fat (butter, egg yolk) can bring it around.

Why does bearnaise sauce curdle? ›

When does it curdle? Either your sabayon (beaten egg yolk and water) is too hot, or the butter is too hot, or you're adding the butter too fast. If the egg emulsion is too hot, the proteins in the yolks cook before they can emulsify with the oil.

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