Techniqueintermediatedraft
Thickening with egg yolk
Also searched as: liaison, thickening with egg yolk, tempering eggs
In short: Thicken a soup or sauce with a mixture of egg yolk and cream without the yolk curdling.
Picture it
Like easing cold feet slowly into a warm bath instead of jumping in.
What happens
Egg yolk thickens as it warms and binds the liquid. Added straight to hot soup, it curdles into strands at once. If it is first brought up to temperature with a little hot liquid, its temperature rises slowly and it thickens creamily.
How it’s done
Sequence · Step 1 of 4
Whisk egg yolk with cream.
All steps as a list
- Whisk egg yolk with cream.
- Stir in a few spoonfuls of hot soup (tempering).
- Add the mixture to the soup and take the pot off the heat.
- Stir until it thickens slightly. Do not let it boil again.
Related entries
Sources
- Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004), Kapitel Saucen, Eier