People generally associate mayonnaise with the French, but it's popular in Italy too.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup olive oil
- The juice of a lemon
- Salt & white pepper to taste
Preparation:
Mayonnaise can be made with a whisk or egg beater, but is much easier to make with a blender.
Lightly beat the yolks, then begin to add the olive oil in a slow stream, beating all the while. The mixture should emulsify and become creamy. When you have beaten in about half the oil, beat in the lemon juice -- the mixture will thin considerably. Slowly add the remaining oil, continuing to beat, until your mayonnaise is again fluffy and creamy. Season to taste with a pinch of salt and a little freshly ground white pepper.
You'll find this is much richer than commercially prepared mayonnaise, which usually contains vegetable oil instead of olive oil. If you want to make your mayonnaise zestier, beat in a pinch or so of ground mustard (at the beginning), or perhaps a pinch of horseradish or ground cayenne -- assuming that what you'll be serving it with will go with these flavors. Or try using vinegar instead of lemon juice. With flavored vinegars there's quite a bit of room for personalization.
Finally, the Joy of Cooking notes that mayonnaise won't emulsify well if there's a thunderstorm brewing nearby. I've found they're right.
Lightly beat the yolks, then begin to add the olive oil in a slow stream, beating all the while. The mixture should emulsify and become creamy. When you have beaten in about half the oil, beat in the lemon juice -- the mixture will thin considerably. Slowly add the remaining oil, continuing to beat, until your mayonnaise is again fluffy and creamy. Season to taste with a pinch of salt and a little freshly ground white pepper.
You'll find this is much richer than commercially prepared mayonnaise, which usually contains vegetable oil instead of olive oil. If you want to make your mayonnaise zestier, beat in a pinch or so of ground mustard (at the beginning), or perhaps a pinch of horseradish or ground cayenne -- assuming that what you'll be serving it with will go with these flavors. Or try using vinegar instead of lemon juice. With flavored vinegars there's quite a bit of room for personalization.
Finally, the Joy of Cooking notes that mayonnaise won't emulsify well if there's a thunderstorm brewing nearby. I've found they're right.
