I just made my very first attempt at a hollandaise sauce, which of course broke. The funny thing is, the sauce was perfect, and was finished. However, it was really, REALLY bland. So, to add some flavor as I've seen several other chefs demonstrate, I attempted to stir in spices (a little salt, a little chili powder, a little black pepper). As soon as the spices hit the sauce it instantly broke.
Sadly I am now out of eggs and butter, so there's no way I can salvage it. Down the sink it went.
So, what happened? What did I do wrong? Any help would be appreciated - it has to be something with those spices. Perhaps the salt??
I refuse to give this up, I need to learn these mother sauces!