I had never made mayonnaise before, but Rachel had done it several times for work a few years back. So, when we decided to make Purple Potato and Dill Salad, Rachel found it to be the perfect opportunity to teach me this new kitchen skill. It was really quite simple...once we called her restaurant/catering company-owner/brother Adam to help us figure out where the heck we went wrong in the first attempt, which never thickened up.
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| Trying to make mayonnaise in the blender |
First we attempted to make the mayonnaise in the blender. This didn’t work out so well. This is because we discovered that the blender was leaking some of the egg out before it could emulsify – booo.
So then we tried pouring our failed mixture in a bowl and mixing it by hand. After Rachel's arm nearly fell off from blending for 20 minutes, we came to the conclusion that it wouldn't work. Once you have tried to make mayonnaise and it hasn’t thickened, there is no hope, so just start over!
So, to base this properly on a successful experience, I will recommend using the bowl and hand mixer method from the start. But, I would guess that you could try it in a blender as well - IF your blender doesn’t leak all the egg out before you add the other ingredients! So here is a simple recipe for how to make mayonnaise – best of luck!
Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe
Ingredients (to make about 2 cups of mayonnaise)
2 eggs
2 tbs apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 cups of oil - we used cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt, pepper and other seasoning to taste (try garlic, basil, dill or whatever you like)
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| Separating the egg yolks for mayonnaise |
1. Mix the seasonings of your choice in with the oil
2. Separate the eggs and put the yolks in a mixing bowl (keep the leftover egg whites for a fluffy egg white scramble...mmm).
3. Start beating the egg yolks and add in 1 tbs of the vinegar/lemon juice.
4. When the eggs start to thicken or emulsify, very slowly add in the oil and herb mixture…very slowly...like drops at a time.
5. Add in the remaining vinegar/lemon juice. Mix and continue to add oil until nice and thick and well blended; the thicker it gets the faster you can add the oil, but it should still be added slowly.
6. Once you have a nice thick emulsion, add any other spices to taste and then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
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| Now that is thicker like real mayonnaise! |
You can make this in smaller or larger portions; just keep the ratio of 1 cup of oil per egg, and keep in mind that it only lasts for a day or two because of the raw egg. It is also highly recommended that you use only pasteurized eggs because they are not cooked.
Have fun with different spices for different flavors. This recipe works great for potato, chicken, or tuna salad. Use it as a sandwich spread, or you can also add garlic cloves and a little more lemon juice to make an aioli dip.
Featured on Food Renegade fight Back Fridays, Food on Fridays, It's so Very Cheri, The Healthy Home Economist Monday Mania and Read Food Wednesdays
Featured on Food Renegade fight Back Fridays, Food on Fridays, It's so Very Cheri, The Healthy Home Economist Monday Mania and Read Food Wednesdays
I'm intrigued. Belgian women often make their mayonnaise from scratch (if they don't, they take care to buy high quality from the store--they prefer a little bit of the real thing instead of a lot of the reduced fat or "light" stuff). I've occasionally thought, "I should learn to do that," but then forget. Or doubt that I can pull it off.
ReplyDeleteIt helps to have a real person report back that yes, it can fail, but that's okay because you can try again.
Thank you for linking this to Food on Fridays and providing a real-world explanation!
Congratulations for trying this difficult recipe on your own... and getting it right! In France, where I am from, learning to make mayonnaise is a skill that is passed on from mother to daughter. At least, that's the way it was in my family. And there are lots of sayings that are supposed to explain why mayonnaise sometimes fails. For example, a woman should not attempt to make it during her period (I don't believe that!), or if she's nervous, or depressed... But the truth is, making mayonnaise is just tricky. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to add a couple of things that I think might be useful for people who'd want to try this recipe.
First, even though your recipe is the traditional one, in France most people add a tablespoon or two of mustard to the egg yolks before starting to add the oil. That way, the oil emulsifies better and the mayonnaise is less likely to fail. But you want to use only French ("DIJON") mustard. You can find the "Maille" mustard brand, which is an excellent one, in some grocery stores that specialize in imported foods. Trader Joe's also sells a very good Dijon mustard. The "Grey Poupon" brand will work, too. But don't use the common, yellow mustard, or your mayonnaise won't taste anything like real mayonnaise.
If your mayonnaise fails (which happens to everybody, including me), there is a trick to avoid throwing it away (good quality eggs and olive oil can be expensive!) First, start a new batch with one egg yolk, one tablespoon of Dijon mustard and a few drops of lemon juice. Add the oil very carefully, almost drop by drop. When your second mayonnaise starts to thicken, stop adding fresh oil and, instead, incorporate very slowly your failed batch to the new one, here again a few drops at a time. At the end, you can add more fresh oil if needed. You'll end up with a 3-egg mayonnaise that you can share with your neighbors! ;-)
Finally, you're probably right to be careful about not keeping the mayonnaise around too long, but to tell the truth I often keep mine (refrigerated) for a week, or even two weeks, and I've never been sick after eating it, so don't worry too much about it! You just want to keep the mayonnaise from staying in contact with air, or it will oxidize and turn darker and slightly translucent. It doesn't make it toxic or anything, but it doesn't taste as good. A good solution is to place a piece of saran wrap directly in contact with the mayonnaise, and not simply on top of the bowl.
I hope those few tricks will be helpful!
You have to get it to seed (emulsify) first. Once it seeds, the whole thing will grow as you pour more oil in. If you have a failed batch, don't throw it out. Just add it into a working batch.
ReplyDeleteNote that it will not be very thick at start until it has been chilled first. It should still flow like salad dressing. After it has been chilled, it will become thick. If it still isn't thick, then there may not be enough oil.