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

Trending Videos

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? ›

Béarnaise sauce is a piquant child of hollandaise, one of the so-called mother sauces of French cuisine. It is simply an emulsification — egg yolks and butter cut through with vinegar flavored with tarragon and shallots, with a bite of black pepper.

What's the difference between béarnaise and Hollandaise sauce? ›

It is regarded as a "child" of hollandaise sauce. The difference is only in the flavoring: béarnaise uses shallot, black pepper, and tarragon, while hollandaise uses white pepper or a pinch of cayenne. The sauce's name derives from the province of Béarn, France.

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.

Do Italians put sugar in their sauce? ›

"A pinch of sugar is a Southern Italian trick that was used when the sauce was made with end-of-season tomatoes that did not get ripe, or the tomatoes were so tart they needed to be balanced," Chiarello explained to Epicurious.

Do they put sugar in tomato sauce in Italy? ›

Do Italians put sugar in spaghetti? - Quora. Usually no. But putting (a very small bit) of sugar or even a tiny pinch of baking soda in the tomato sauce can help if it is too acidic, but this is only done if the person cooking it is really in a rush.

Does Ruth's Chris serve bearnaise sauce? ›

Entrée Complements SHRIMP Six additional large shrimp dusted with blackening seasoning and broiled. LOBSTER TAIL Cold water lobster tail, lightly seasoned with Cajun spices, sea salt and butter. OSCAR STYLE Jumbo lump crab cake, asparagus and homemade béarnaise sauce.

How do you thicken bearnaise sauce? ›

– If the sauce won`t thicken, mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 tablespoon of the sauce in a clean bowl over heat. Beat until they come together, then add the rest of the thin sauce 1/2 tablespoon at a time. – If the sauce starts to separate, add an ice cube or a tablespoon of cold water and whisk briskly.

What is a substitute for butter in bearnaise sauce? ›

Whisk egg yolks, black pepper, tarragon Dijon mustard, tarragon vinegar, water, and salt in a metal mixing bowl or small saucepan. Place over low heat and whisk until mixture foams, small wisps of steam appear from the sauce, and sauce is hot and thick, 1 to 2 minutes.

What are the 5 mother sauces? ›

The five French mother sauces are béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise, and tomato. Developed in the 19th century by French chef Auguste Escoffier, mother sauces serve as a starting point for a variety of delicious sauces used to complement countless dishes, including veggies, fish, meat, casseroles, and pastas.

Is hollandaise or bearnaise better for steak? ›

Béarnaise Sauce is considered by many to be one of the finest sauces to serve with steaks. A variation of Hollandaise sauce, one of the 5 “mother sauces” in classical French cookery, it's notoriously difficult to make by hand.

Which of the following is essential when making béarnaise 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.)

Is bearnaise sauce like peppercorn sauce? ›

Think of béarnaise as hollandaise sauce's bolder, more sophisticated brother. Whisked up egg yolks are given volume with melted butter and a tarragon-infused wine and vinegar reduction, which cuts through the richness perfectly. It might be a bit trickier to make than peppercorn, but it's well worth the effort.

Why does bearnaise sauce break? ›

First off, broken sauces are typically caused by one (or more) common issues: Adding fatty ingredients too quickly or letting the sauce get too hot and curdle. Follow the recipe to the T and you're sauce will be in good shape. Looking to test in your skill? Try this recipe for Sirloin with Bearnaise Sauce.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Prof. An Powlowski

Last Updated:

Views: 6338

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (44 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Prof. An Powlowski

Birthday: 1992-09-29

Address: Apt. 994 8891 Orval Hill, Brittnyburgh, AZ 41023-0398

Phone: +26417467956738

Job: District Marketing Strategist

Hobby: Embroidery, Bodybuilding, Motor sports, Amateur radio, Wood carving, Whittling, Air sports

Introduction: My name is Prof. An Powlowski, I am a charming, helpful, attractive, good, graceful, thoughtful, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.