there are a couple of different ways to make a hollandaise, including the blender method. But that tends to produce a thinner sauce than I like for eggs benedict. The biggest obstacle to a great hollandiase is over cooking the eggs. Here's a simple method to more easily avoid that problem.
I like to use a glass pyrex bowl nested on top of a sauce pan of simmering water for a double boiler -- no corners to hide ingredients from the whisk. Place your egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and any desired seasonings in the bowl. Then cube up your COLD butter, and dump that in as well. Put the whole mess over the simmering water, and start to whisk. While it doesn't need your undivided attention at first, you will want to keep the eggs in motion as they begin to heat up. The secret here is that the cold butter helps to regulate the temperature of the eggs, helping to prevent curdling. As the butter starts to melt, whisk a little more vigorously, and keep whisking until the butter is fully incorporated and the sauce is ALMOST the consistency you want. Using a hot pad, remove the bowl from the pan, and continue whisking until the bowl begins to cool off. The sauce will continue to thicken off of the heat.
I have never had a failure with this method. And it can be done before any other prep is done, when you can focus just on this one task, because it will hold quite nicely for an hour or more. When you are about ready to serve, just pop the bowl back over simmering water, and whisk until the sauce is warm again. If it has become too thick, just thin it with a bit of water. Perfect every time!
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