Sauce

Yesterday I was feeling a bit sorry for myself, the husband was on a cake field trip around London-it's a hard life, and I was on playgroup duty then 6 children after school duty.  I was just thinking I wanted to be looked after, someone to cook for me, that kind of thing.  Then this morning the husband didn't hurry off to work, so after I dropped the children off I came home to find breakfast waiting for me.  Chestnut mushrooms with poached eggs, there was one problem, no sauce-not even a bottle of ketchup to be found. He says to me "how easy is it to make a hollandaise".  I say urghhh, then I grab a Elizabeth David and find that I can just knock up a hollandaise using, 1 egg yolk, 2oz butter, a splash of vinegar and cold water and lemon juice.  I got a saucepan going with some boiling water,  in a pudding basin beat the egg yolk with a splash of vinegar(I only had red) over the saucepan, then using a whisk I added the butter cube by cube,  then a squeeze of lemon juice and salt.  This made a perfect bright yellow(thanks to the neighbours chicken) hollandaise to top our breakfast.
It continues to amaze me how a wee egg yolk can take in some melted butter and become a thick divine sauce.  I made another ED aioli at the weekend and three egg yolks could hold nearly 500ml of my sisters finest olive oil to her horror.
Elizabeth David is clearly teaching me how to make a mean sauce and I am enjoying learning when to use a sauce.  The husband always needs a sauce with his meal so increasing my repertoire beyond ketchup and mango chutney is prooving helpful!