Hollandaise is a warm emulsion of egg yolks and butter with a dash of acid added. Traditionally a mild white wine vinegar or lemon. I've had good luck with lime juice, da Missus prefers orange juice, which make it Maltaise.
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Bernaise is essentially Hollandaise with a vinegar-shallot-pepper reduction and tarragon added.
As others have said, Bernaise is traditionally used with beef. Tournedos (medallions) of beef filet topped with Bernaise is probably the most famous use. You can top any good steak cut with Bernaise but IMO it works best with the tender but relatively tasteless cuts from the tenderloin. You could also try it with a firm white fish filet or steak.
Hollandaise is probably most famous in eggs benedict - try subsbreastuting nova lox for the canadian bacon and you've got eggs norwegian. Hollandaise works well with steamed green vegetables.
Whenever I make hollandaise I always wind up with a little left over, perhaps a 1-4 cup. Let the hollandaise cool to the point where it's workable. Scoop into balls using a melon baller and refrigerate. Serve with fresh grilled corn on the cob.
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Warm water bath, in the jars. Open jars and let sit in barely simmering water. Most of the jarred sauces I'm familiar with (and since I make from scratch I'm not that familiar) have stabilizers added so they'll take more heat than a home made version but they'll still break if you're not careful.
For those of you who are interested in making your own but feeling intimidated by the prospect, go to google groups and search on my posting handle plus hollandaise. There was a thread 12-15 months ago where I posted a quick 'n easy method for making hollandaise. Others chimed in with their methods, making it a fairly definitive hollandaise primer.
Best,
Marc
