My husband recently surprised me by making Hollandaise sauce to have on our broccoli at dinner. It was made from a mix, not from scratch, but it was still awesome because Hollandaise sauce is always awesome, no matter how it's prepared, where it's consumed, or what accompanies it.

Over the years I have eaten Hollandaise sauce in many different contexts and have come to the conclusion that it tastes just as good on English muffins, eggs, and ham as it does on Ramen noodles. Okay, so I've never actually eaten Hollandaise sauce on Ramen, but I am sure that the subtle flavor of the noodles could not help but be enhanced by the yellow sauce. In fact, one of the greatest things about Hollandaise is its profound ability to transform any food into something that you are actually excited to consume. Brussels sprouts? No problem! Haggis? Done and done! Okra? Yes, please!

Upon consideration of its components, it is not difficult to discern how Hollandaise sauce achieves its deliciousness. The two primary ingredients are egg yolks and butter. In other words, fat and fat. The simple truth is that fat is delicious, and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is either stupid, deluded, or one of those annoying health-nuts whose idea of a good time is an egg white omelet with lemongrass. Atkins and his famous diet may be mostly discredited at this point, but he did have one thing right: fat is not evil.

I have countless memories of Hollandaise sauce and not one of them is negative. Whether fighting over the two small pitchers of the yellow sauce at Thanksgiving and wondering why my mother didn't make more, or enjoying eggs Benedict at 1pm on a Sunday while battling a massive hangover, Hollandaise sauce only ever brings me warm fuzzy grandma's-freshly-baked-cookies feelings.

What is probably my fondest memory of the good yellow stuff occurred on a summer's day about eight years ago. My brother, my future sister-in-law, one of my brother's friends (I cannot now recall who it was), and I were all recovering from hangovers on a Sunday at my mother's house. My sister-in-law bravely decided to make eggs Benedict for us all, and what's more, she decided to prepare the Hollandaise sauce from scratch. While the rest of us lay draped over various couches and chairs in the living room, Jen toiled away in the kitchen. Occasionally one of us would call out pitifully asking if the food was ready yet. Jen would reply that if we were in such a damn hurry, we should get off our lazy asses and help her instead of lying around moaning. She had a point.

After what seemed like an eternity and was in actuality about a couple hours, Jen served us eggs Benedict with the best Hollandaise sauce I have ever eaten. Maybe it was the effect of the anticipation after the long hungover wait, or maybe it was that the sauce was more lemony than usual, giving it a particular zing. Whatever the reason, my mouth still waters today when I think about that Hollandaise sauce.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate my original point that Hollandaise sauce is awesome, and I urge you not to let anyone, even your doctor, tell you differently.