Artichokes with Hollandaise Sauce

April is Artichoke season so I wanted to do at least one recipe with these veggies. Inspired by Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I wanted to make an appetizer that makes the artichoke the center of attention. In my mind, this dish resembles a volcano with the artichoke being the base and the sauce being the lava. Or maybe it makes you think of artichoke leaves hanging out in a hot tub of hollandaise sauce. Either way I hope you enjoy this fun, french-inspired dish!  

Ingredients:

Artichokes (Medium Sized)--- 1

For the Hollandaise: Makes enough to fill 1 Artichoke

Egg Yolks--- 3 (Large)
Butter (chilled)--- 2 TBSP
Butter (melted)--- 5 OZ (1 1/4 Sticks)
Lemon Juice--- 1 TBSP
Salt and Pepper--- To taste

Step By Step:

• In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs yolks rapidly for 1 minute. Bring a pot a water to a rolling boil.

• Add 1 TBSP chilled butter to egg yolks. Hold mixing bowl over boiling pot and whisk butter and eggs until they combine into a creamy texture. Be sure to not heat mixture too much as they will turn to scrambled eggs. If mixture is becoming too thick remove from heat and add a TBSP of cold water. 

• Repeat this step by adding another 1 TBSP of chilled butter. Mixture should be thick but still able to easily run off of a spoon

• Steadily whisk in a few drops of melted butter to the sauce. Repeat this step by slowly incorporating the liquid butter into the sauce. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
• Once sauce is smooth and creamy, remove from heat.  If you're making this ahead of time, you can refrigerate this Hollandaise for later use  

• Remove stem & top and trim leaves of the artichoke. 

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add trimmed artichokes and reduce heat. Simmer artichokes for 25-30 minutes until leaves are tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork.

• Strain artichokes from water and flip upside down to remove excess water. Once artichokes are cool enough to handle, open up the leaves so the heart (core) is exposed. (You can opt to remove the heart or leave it in) Pour hollandaise into the center of the artichoke so you have a natural dipping bowl

Enjoy!