Chef Darian’s Blog

Mayonnaise – not a mystery

May 28, 2009 on 9:33 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

I recently taught a cooking class that was all about fun and simple summer salads. I mentioned that I really liked to use homemade mayonnaise when making potato salad (and of course what BLT would be complete this time of year without great Mayonnaise and fresh from the garden tomatoes!) This brought on some questions about how to make mayo – since it has a mystery about it. It is not nearly as hard as you might imagine and I thought I would pass on this fool-proof recipe. I should add that I like to use flavored vinegars to give whatever dish I use it for – that extra special touch. For instance, Cuisine Perel has some wonderful vinegars. I have two favorites – Spicy Pecan Vinegar and Black Fig Vinegar. You can find these at your more upscale gourmet shops. I get mine at The Cooking Depot whenever I am in Cuero, but you can find it at Central Market and some of the more upscale HEB’s.

Mayonnaise

(all ingredients must be at room temperature)
3 Egg Yolks
3 to 5 Tbsp Vinegar
1/4 tsp Dry or Dijon Mustard
2 cups Canola Oil (can use Vegetable or Corn Oil)
Kosher or Sea Salt

In the very clean and dry bowl of your food processor (I find this to be the easiest and safest way to make Mayo), add the egg yolks and pulse till they are thick and sticky. (Make sure they are broken up and one homogeneous mass) Add the vinegar, a pinch of salt and the mustard. Pulse a few more times to combine well.

Now you can add the oil. The best way to do this is through the hole in your Cuisinart Food Processor. Cuisinart makes the plug for the chute in the lid with a tiny hole in the bottom. This is not a design flaw, but a clever design perk that lets you slowly add oil to your dressings. It does wonders for allowing you to create an emulsion – which is what we are going for here. Back to the oil – so keep adding oil to the plug (or plunger) in the chute until all the oil has been incorporated in the mayonnaise.

Now is the time to check for salt. You might need a little more – it is up to your taste. If it needs more, add a pinch or two and pulse a few more times, then taste again. And there you have it, mayonnaise!

Please make sure that your eggs are fresh. The mayonnaise should keep for several days in the frig. After one week I would toss it.

I hope you have success with this recipe and feel free to email me with any questions at darian@chefdarian.com!