HERBED OLIVE OIL SABAYON
Source: Colleen McGlynn

1 medium shallot, peeled and chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup DaVero Dry Creek Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil
several stems of fresh basil, chervil, tarragon, or parsley
kosher salt & fresh-ground pepper

This is made the same way as any of the classic egg-yolk sauces, like hollandaise or bearnaise. Separate the herb leaves from the stems, and reserve the leaves. Simmer the wine, vinegar, chopped shallot, and herb stems together in a saucepan over medium heat to reduce them to about a third of a cup of liquid. Strain into a non-reactive (stainless or enamel) bowl.

At this point, you can either proceed in the traditional fashion, or the quick way. Colleen, ever the purist, does it the traditional way, by putting the reduction into the top of a double-boiler, over medium heat, with gently-boiling water in the bottom. (Note: you can also just put the bowl over, but not touching, a pot filled with gently-boiling water.) Add the egg yolks and whisk briskly until the yolks are frothy and thickened to the point where thin ribbons trail when you lift the whisk. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the olive oil in a thin drizzle, whisking constantly. If it's too thick, you may need to whisk in a bit of water from the bottom of the double boiler.

Ridge, whose technology background makes him less patient, opts for the quick way. He puts the egg yolks in a blender and then, with the blender running, pours in the still-hot strained liquid followed by the olive oil, which he pours in a thin, steady stream. Start-to-finish, this method takes less than 10 minutes.

Either way, the last step is to chop and add the herb leaves, plus salt and pepper to taste. This will hold for several hours, so you can make it ahead of time, but it's best when it's fresh.

Note from source: This is one of those simple sauces that can take a mundane dish to a new plateau. It works as a sauce for any number of fresh vegetables, but we like it best atop ones that have a bit of bitterness to them, like grilled asparagus or grilled radicchio. It's also wonderful over new potatoes and fish dishes, and even grilled meats.