a really good, creamy, tangy bleu cheese dressing is so perfect on a wedge salad. and nothing else will really do in tuna salad or deviled eggs. as a chef, i just have to have mayo on hand. my go-to recently has been hellman's olive oil mayonnaise. the other day, i checked out the ingredient list and was appalled. i had always thought mayo was mayo, you know? eggs, vinegar, oil. what else does it need?
apparently:
WATER, SOYBEAN OIL, OLIVE OIL, WHOLE EGGS AND EGG YOLKS, MODIFIED POTATO STARCH, VINEGAR, SALT, SUGAR, LEMON JUICE, SORBIC ACID AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (USED TO PROTECT QUALITY), NATURAL FLAVOR, PAPRIKA OLEORESIN
i don't think i need the sugar in there or the sorbic acid, calcium disodium edta, paprika oleoresin, and "natural flavor" whatever that is.
for some reason i had built homemade mayo in my head to be hard to make and finicky. turns out i was wrong. it was seriously easy to make! the hardest part is just having the patience to drizzle the oil in slowly. but honestly, it came together in less than 5 minutes - including gathering the ingredients time.
i seriously may never buy mayo again. it's that easy and the ingredients are that pure. the other great thing is you can add whatever you want to this mayo. basil and lemon, chipotle peppers, roasted red pepper and garlic, the possibilities are endless.
please note that you must use a light flavor olive oil, not extra virgin. i made the mistake of using extra virgin the first time around and had to throw it out. the extra virgin has such a strong flavor it just tasted like thick olive oil. the second time around i used light (in flavor) olive oil and it was perfect. i also use local, all-natural, free-range, cage-free eggs that i feel confident enough in to eat them uncooked. if you are worried about that, click here to see how to pasteurize your eggs.
stay tuned, recipes including my homemade mayo are sure to follow. (the following makes about 1 1/2 cups of mayo, but can be easily doubled if you need more. i prefer to make smaller batches because i don't use it very frequently.)
Homemade Mayonnaise
1 egg
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 cup light olive oil (not extra virgin)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
any additional herb/seasonings you like
in a blender add egg, vinegar, and mustard and blend well. with blender running, slowly drizzle in olive oil. seriously, a super slow, thin stream is what we are looking for here. it takes a while for the mixture to immulsify. think of it as a free arm workout while you make mayo. once the olive oil has been added (slowly!), then blend in salt and cayenne and any other spices. store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
I tried this in my tuna salad the other day and there is no way i would have known the difference from store bought mayonnaise. Very good!
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