Homemade Mayonnaise

This is one that might scare a few people. Why? It calls for raw eggs. Yup. Raw. I know, it sounds kind of gross, but think about it..how many of us eat raw cookie dough? Damn near all of us, I’d bet. There are times when I wonder just how many cookies I’d actually have from any given batch if I just stopped eating the dough. But for some reason I mention to people that I make my own mayo out of raw eggs and I get that look. The “how could you?” look. The “think of the children!” look. The “eeewwwwwwww…” look. Legend tells of something called the “pasteurized egg,” but honestly I’ve never been able to find such a thing. So yeah, I use regular ol’, organic chicken’s eggs to make my mayo. And all props to Mr. Hellman, since I bought his fine product for years, but homemade is better. Really. And hey, since sheltering in place is our new normal for the foreseeable future, maybe it’s time for all of us to learn to make some of those staples anyway.

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Ingredients

  

• 1 egg yolk room temperature
• 1 whole egg room temperature
• 2 tablespoons vinegar I usually use apple cider or white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice the stuff in the green bottle is fine
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• Scant 25 ounce bottle of neutral-flavored oil I’m partial to avocado oil or light olive oil – adding the whole bottle makes it a bit too runny

Instructions

 

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the whole egg, the egg yolk, the salt and the mustard. Pulse a few times to mix. Turn the processor on and painfully, achingly, my-arm-is-gonna-fall-off slowly drizzle in a steady stream of the oil. (A thin strand of oil should fall from the bottle through the food shoot of the lid.) You’ll soon notice the mixture starts to make a “whap, whap, whap” sound (and, yes, that is the technical term for it). This is the oil and egg mixing together to create an emulsion. After about half of the oil has been added, pour in the vinegar and lemon juice. (I don’t know why, but I’ve had a problem getting the emulsion to form unless I wait until about mid-way through the mixing to add the acid.) Keep pouring in the oil until it’s all mixed in and voila…mayonnaise!
• I’ve halved this recipe many times with great success. It’s also great for mixing in garlic and herbs, but if you do, be sure and let it sit for a while before you eat it so the flavors can blend.