Mayhem and Mayonnaise

 Mayhem and Mayonnaise

A few words about whipping up the white stuff.

Mayonnaise, at least according to what slave reads on the internet, was an invention by the wife of a Jewish deli owner. Mr. Hellman found that the sandwiches his wife prepared were selling faster than any that he had made. Story goes that she was playing around with the recipe for hollandaise sauce and came up with this much simpler spread that worked wonders on her cold cut sandwiches. Wither true or not you have to admit this white stuff sure tastes good and really makes a great salad dressing.

Yes, it is loaded with fat. Basically, mayonnaise is just egg yolks emulsified into a bland oil.

The ratio for a basic mayonnaise is: 1 yolk per 1 cup oil.

Oh, but it is how you mix them and add to them etc that can make or break this
condiment.

Without going into the finer details of French cooking and their five “Mother” sauces. This emulsion can be tricky to make, it can break apart like the Hollandaise sauce it is derived from. It can be flavored (like with garlic) or be made with balsamic vinegar, or canola oil, or Extra Virgin Olive Oil, etc. Some are sold that are very spicy or loaded with mustard, all to your preference.

However none will taste as good as homemade! So why not try. Slave was making a couple of egg dishes to honor a friend, Sir Mike, and wanted to do more than just a breakfast dish. What it found was several things that called for mayonnaise, so it set to work.

Here are three ways of making mayonnaise: Try them to find what works best for you, then experiment with the balances of extra touches to truly make a special sauce fit for the Master.

1. WHIP the hell out of it.

2. Easier Whipping over boiling water.

3. Slacking off and let Kitchenade do the work.

Basic ingredients to start off with:

2 large egg yolks (or 1 whole egg and 1 yolk)

1 teaspoon salt (slave prefers the regular fine salt for this)

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

½ teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon mustard powder

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons of white vinegar

1 ½ cup oil

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

WHIP the hell out of it.

For this method, get out your whisk and a glass bowl. Start with the egg and dry ingredients. Beat them together with the whisk.

In another bowl, pour the vinegar and lemon juice. Add HALF of this to the egg mix in glass bowl. Whisk BRISKLY and keep it up. This will take some time, so you might consider a good stretching before attempting.

AS you whisk, by single drops, add oil. Remember whisk fast, add oil slowly. What will happen is the color will change to a much lighter thicker mix. This is a noticeable change, watch for it for it means that you are getting an emulsion! Keep at it until this happens. When you can really see the difference, then and only then, you can start to add the oil by a tiny thin stream into the mixture. Keep up that whisking!

the essential element here is to wait to add the majority of the oil until the egg, dry ingredients, half lemon/vinegar mixture, and the first few drops of oil are really emulsified.

Once you have added half of the oil, then you can add the rest of the vinegar-lemon mix. Did slave say anything about stopping with the whisking? Keep at it. Now back to the THIN stream of oil until it is incorporated into a spreadable mixture. Only then can you stop.

The taste will be heaven!

Put it in a jar for the refrigerator, it will be good for up to a week. If you have any left over that is.

Later once you get the hang or making an emulsion like this, then you can experiment with a pinch of cayenne or roasted red pepper flakes, etc etc.

--------

Easier Whipping over boiling water.

Use a heatproof glass bowl that fits over a pan of boiling water, but does not touch the water itself.

Combine the egg, lemon juice, vinegar, and mustard and set over barely simmering water.

Cook, whisking constantly, until hot, about 2 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the pan and gradually drizzle in the vegetable oil, whisking rapidly until thick and creamy.

Whisk in 1 tablespoon water mixed with salt, sugar, and white pepper.

Note the order things are put together in this method. You will find it a very satisfactory substitute for the “whip the hell” out of it method.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slacking off and let Kitchenade do the work.

Use the whisk attachment. In defense of this method note the “shearing” power of this machine can break the oil into much smaller droplets and thus make a more stable emulsion.

NOTES to make it easier:

Have the egg and oil at room temperature before starting. Use the freshest eggs possible.

HOWEVER if you are cooking for a person whose immune system is perhaps not in the best shape, like an elderly person or a very young child, pasteurized eggs are recommended.

This uses a slightly different list of ingredients:
DRY:
½ tablespoon vinegar
½ teaspoon fine salt
½ teaspoon mustard powder
pinch cayenne

-----------------
2 cups Salad Oil
1 Tablespoon Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Put all but last three ingredients into the KitchenAid with a whisk attachment and mix very well.
Again start slowly with a thin stream of oil, a little at a time until your emulsification starts to form.
Use the 1 tablespoon of vinegar to thin the mayonnaise if it starts to become too thick before the emulsification is complete.
Once all the oil is incorporated into egg yolks and the mayonnaise is finished, it should not be able to pour.
Adjust seasoning with the lemon juice, salt and pepper (white, cayenne or black pepper depending on preference).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, are you ready for the fun? Do your stretches and lets dig in.

 

Your NEW secret ingredient!

Always property of Master Indy

socialslave

To satisfy and restore. To nourish, support and maintain. To gratify, spoil, comfort and please, to nurture, assist, and sustain …..I cook!