Cauldron Farm (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} cauldronfarm) wrote,@ 2008-02-06 19:36:00 |
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Mayo recipe
I think I've posted my homemade mayonnaise recipe before, but someone asked for it, so here it is again.
Mayonnaise is just oil that has been emulsified with egg and flavorings. First thing, you need eggs you are comfortable with eating raw. Some people are very wary of raw egg. I have recklessly been eating raw cookie dough and over-easy eggs long before I had my own chickens, so I don't worry about it. There are ways to make mayonnaise with cooked egg yolk and this recipe might work with some sort of pasteurized egg product, but I really can't speak to that. You also need one of those hand held stick-blenders. (I used to do this with a whisk, and I've done it with a regular blender, but the stick-blender is fastest and most reliable. Besides, it means you can make it in the mayo jar. How cool is that!?)
So, my recipe for raw-egg mayo... crack an egg into a jar which the stick-blender will fit into. Something wide-mouthed and straight-sided that holds 2-3 cups is ideal. Add a teaspoon each of mustard powder, sugar or honey, and salt. I also like to add some white pepper (because black leaves speckles in the mayo) and sometimes I'll add lots of garlic. Add 1/4 cup of whatever oil you'll be using. Extra virgin olive oil makes a richly flavored mayo with a greenish tint. Canola oil makes a very neutral pale mayonnaise that other folks might prefer.
Blend this well with the stick blender, and gradually add more oil. Drizzle in a bit, blend well, drizzle a bit, blend... Add it too fast and you make runny mayo, so don't rush. No more than a teaspoon of oil at a time. You can add about a cup of oil in this manner before the mayo "breaks" and becomes hopelessly runny, but you don't need to measure it out if you know how big your jar is. About halfway through the oil-adding process, add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, or somewhat less vinegar. A dark balsamic vinegar will give a strongly flavored mayo that some might like, and standard white vinegar will give a more neutral flavor. You can vary the proportions of ingredients to suit different tastes. It is very flexible. Fancy flavored vinegars and oils are quite nice, and you can add all manner of herbs.
Done right, you should be able to stand a butter knife up in the mayonnaise once it is chilled. (Warm it will be softer.) If your mayo is very thin, you can either add some more vinegar and herbs and call it salad dressing, or start again with an egg in a jar, gradually blending in the runny mayo the same way you added the oil the first time.
This can be done in a traditional blender, but it is a pain because the thick mayo needs to be continually pushed down. A cheap stick blender costs $15, and is well worth it.
-- Joshua
I think I've posted my homemade mayonnaise recipe before, but someone asked for it, so here it is again.
Mayonnaise is just oil that has been emulsified with egg and flavorings. First thing, you need eggs you are comfortable with eating raw. Some people are very wary of raw egg. I have recklessly been eating raw cookie dough and over-easy eggs long before I had my own chickens, so I don't worry about it. There are ways to make mayonnaise with cooked egg yolk and this recipe might work with some sort of pasteurized egg product, but I really can't speak to that. You also need one of those hand held stick-blenders. (I used to do this with a whisk, and I've done it with a regular blender, but the stick-blender is fastest and most reliable. Besides, it means you can make it in the mayo jar. How cool is that!?)
So, my recipe for raw-egg mayo... crack an egg into a jar which the stick-blender will fit into. Something wide-mouthed and straight-sided that holds 2-3 cups is ideal. Add a teaspoon each of mustard powder, sugar or honey, and salt. I also like to add some white pepper (because black leaves speckles in the mayo) and sometimes I'll add lots of garlic. Add 1/4 cup of whatever oil you'll be using. Extra virgin olive oil makes a richly flavored mayo with a greenish tint. Canola oil makes a very neutral pale mayonnaise that other folks might prefer.
Blend this well with the stick blender, and gradually add more oil. Drizzle in a bit, blend well, drizzle a bit, blend... Add it too fast and you make runny mayo, so don't rush. No more than a teaspoon of oil at a time. You can add about a cup of oil in this manner before the mayo "breaks" and becomes hopelessly runny, but you don't need to measure it out if you know how big your jar is. About halfway through the oil-adding process, add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, or somewhat less vinegar. A dark balsamic vinegar will give a strongly flavored mayo that some might like, and standard white vinegar will give a more neutral flavor. You can vary the proportions of ingredients to suit different tastes. It is very flexible. Fancy flavored vinegars and oils are quite nice, and you can add all manner of herbs.
Done right, you should be able to stand a butter knife up in the mayonnaise once it is chilled. (Warm it will be softer.) If your mayo is very thin, you can either add some more vinegar and herbs and call it salad dressing, or start again with an egg in a jar, gradually blending in the runny mayo the same way you added the oil the first time.
This can be done in a traditional blender, but it is a pain because the thick mayo needs to be continually pushed down. A cheap stick blender costs $15, and is well worth it.
-- Joshua
