Hollandaise sauce:
3 egg yolks (or 4 if the eggs are small)
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp (plus more to taste) of fresh lemon juice
6 ounces butter
Freshly ground pepper to taste
(**if you use salted butter, you will not need salt, if using unsalted butter, add salt to taste)
Using a heavy pan whisk together egg yolks, water and lemon. It should be thick and pale before setting the pan over low heat.
Continue whisking the mixture cooking until it becomes frothy and grows in volume. Remove from heat when you can see the bottom of the pan through the whisk streaks.
You can increase the heat at this process, but I keep the heat low to control the eggs cooking. If you do go the higher heat route and your eggs begin to cook too quickly, remove the pan from the heat or put the bottom of the pan into cold water to cool the pan quickly)
Add in the soft butter a spoonful at a time, whisking constantly until each spoonful is fully encorporated.
If it isn't warm enough and begins to seize, but over the element and allow to melt the butter a bit while whisking.
Keep adding the butter until the sauce gets to your desired thickness.
I add about another 1 tsp of lemon juice drop by drop at this point to taste.
I add cayenne on top of my sauce once it's over my eggs. And black pepper too.
** if your sauce curdles, or you have a small break in the sauce, just whisk it well to emulsify the sauce again. If it's worse, I'm sorry I can't help you because when I've buggered up a hollandaise to the point of seizing, I start from scratch...
