Mayonnaise

I don’t know many foods that engender such passion. Either you think it is the vile creation of a sadistic French chef; or you delight in slathering it on just about anything, from a classic BLT with fresh garden tomatoes, a cheese laden cracker, mixed up with tuna or hard-boiled eggs, blended with bleu cheese for an addictive salad dressing, or infused with chipotle chiles and smeared on everything from tortilla chips to French fries. Obviously, I’m someone who praises mayo’ in song. I come from a long line of mayo’ lovers and I’m not ashamed!

That said, I am a bit ashamed to admit that before today I had never actually made mayonnaise. It has always been Best Foods or bust. But in the time of Covid-19 I got a wee bit desperate, and since I have been on a kick of creating new and fabulous sauces I decided it was time to try my hand at mayonnaise. I’m happy to tell you, it is fast, easy, and absolutely delicious.

BLENDER MAYONAISE
Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:
1 large egg
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white or black pepper (the choice is purely visual)
1 cup neutral vegetable oil of your choice (you can use olive oil but it does have a very strong flavour).

Add egg, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper to your blender and blend until combined. With the blender speed on low, add oil as slowly as possible – in a very slow steady stream. Continue blending, if necessary, until mayonnaise is thick, smooth, and creamy.
Mayonnaise can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container for one week or more.

 

Random Notes:
– Some recipes call for ground mustard seeds rather than prepared mustard
– Other recipes call for a blend of vinegar and lemon juice
– I used limes because my lemons are not yet ripe
– Some people have concerns about raw eggs and salmonella ~ I live dangerously but I do store my eggs in the refrigerator which helps keep eggs safe