Vegan Hollandaise Sauce

Vegan Hollandaise Sauce
1 cup raw cashews
1/2 - 2/3 cup reserved soaking liquid (from the cashews)
6 whole white peppercorns, crushed
1 Tablespoon minced shallot
3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1-2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
cayenne pepper, to taste
black salt/kala namak or regular salt, to taste (black salt provides an eggy flavor)
splash of butter-flavored olive oil (if you haven't already you have to taste it - it's unbeleiveable and completely dairy-free!)
dash of hot sauce, if desired
For Béarnaise sauce: add chopped fresh tarragon (about one Tablespoon) at the very end; stir in by hand, do not process

Cover the cashews with water and soak for at least one hour. If you want to make the sauce immediately, use boiling water or even boil the cashews for a few minutes. If you plan ahead, the cashews can be soaked in water overnight. The longer the better - the cashews need to become soft to purée and form a nice cashew cream - the basis of this sauce. RESERVE THE SOAKING LIQUID!
Place the peppercorns, shallot, and vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat and reduce by half. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, reserving the liquid and discarding the solids. 

Place the cashews along with 1/2 cup of the liquid in a food processor and process until very smooth and creamy. It is kind of like making a smooth nut butter - you want no chunks of nuts and a texture similar to heavy cream as an end product. It may take awhile, scrape down the sides as necessary. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth, tasting and adjusting seasoning as necessary, or adding more soaking water as needed. Stir in the tarragon by hand for a Béarnaise sauce.
Serve on crackers, toast, asparagus, broccoli, or make a vegan version of Eggs Benedict. Makes about one cup of sauce.

I have never been a huge fan of the flavor of hollandaise sauce, and never enjoyed making it either - in fact, I have failed at making it many times. This vegan version is fool-proof, the food processor does all the mixing for you, and you don't have to worry about the sauce splitting. Temperature is not important either - all the ingredients are mixed at room temperature, and then if you'd like your sauce warm, gently heat it on the stovetop or in the microwave. The sauce keeps well and can be made in advance - just double-check for taste and consistency before serving. Of course this sauce isn't exactly like hollandaise, but considering it is trying to mimic the taste of non-vegan butter and egg yolks, it does a pretty decent job. The key is the cashew cream - it provides all the fat and richness normally given by the butter. I actually prefer it to traditional hollandaise sauce.