SAUCE101: Hollandaise sauce

Hollandaise sauce is a typical French recipe, related to mayonnaise, perfect for seasoning vegetables, delicate fish and white meats.
To prepare the hollandaise sauce, start by melting the clarified butter in a saucepan.
In the meantime, put the water on the stove in a saucepan large enough to accommodate a bain-marie bowl. In the bowl, collect the egg yolks, the two tablespoons of cold water and the salt and, with the help of a whisk, work them for about 10 minutes, until they have reached the consistency of thick cream. When the butter has melted, start adding it to the sauce, a little at a time, in a thin stream, always in a bain-marie.
Continue whisking. Be careful that the bain-marie water does not boil, as this could cause the sauce to curdle. When the sauce thickens, add the lemon juice and season with salt. The consistency should be creamy, but not compact, like mayonnaise. If the hollandaise sauce has thickened too much, add a few drops of warm water.
If you are not serving the sauce right away, keep it warm in a bain-marie, do not heat it over direct heat. Again, the bain-marie water should not boil. Bring the hollandaise sauce to the table, with a sprinkle of pepper if desired, in a special sauce boat.