marcus@pyuxt.UUCP (M. G. Hand) (05/25/84)
<one for you and the rest for me> At great expense and greater risk to sanity I bring you home made mayonnaise - a recipe for which i have been asked by a few people following its recommended use in my potato salad..... Mayonnaise is basically eggs 'n oil, so first a word about the oil. I find that olive oil is a bit on the heavy (not to say expensive) side, while corn oil is a little too light, somewhat bland and what taste it does have seems slightly strange to me. Best is to base it on ground nut or peanut oil, to which i usually add a little olive oil (say 20%). Point two is that it is alot easier to make mayo with the ingredients at room temp so take your eggs out of the fridge in advance otherwise it will curdle. Number three is that this ancient art is one of the most frustrating, and # 4 is that its great for developng your wrist. You need: 2 egg yolks (make some merringues with the whites) 1/2 tsp dry mustard 10 oz oil (1 1/4 cups to americans, 1/2 pint to the english) 2 tablespoons wine vinegar 1/2 tsp salt pepper The above ingredients are approximate - you might need less oil or more vinegar - just play it by ear. OK, so here goes... Put eggs, mustard, S&P in a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon. (You can use a whisk. You can also use a blender and use the drip cap, but i've always been singularly unsuccessful.) Now gradually beat in oil drop by drop, beating until it goes smooth before adding the next few drops. You should be able to get about half the oil in before it starts to separate: as soon as it does (curdle) add a little vinegar and beat until it again goes thick and shiny. When you've got rid of a little over half the oil you can add the rest of the vinegar followed by the oil in rather larger dollops than before. If it cudles, you might save it with a little more vinegar, but not too much. Otherwise you'll have to beat up a fresh egg yoke in a clean bowl and add the curdled mixture very slowly just like you did the oil. To make it thinner you can add light cream, or a mixture of vinegar and warm water at this point. Lemon juice can be substituted for vinegar throughout the above. You can store it in an airtight jar in the fridge for about two weeks. This process can be very frustrating but when successful you'll realise that it's sometimes well worth the effort. (Salmon, potato salad are my favorites.) marcus hand (pyuxt!marcus)