homemade mayonnaise and egg salad.

Certain foods, no matter how many times I try to make them, always elude me.  Sometimes they come out sticky and messy (like the Italian nut rolls I tried to make one winter where most of the dough ended up glued to the counter).  Sometimes it ends up stuck to the bottom of the pan (almost every time I make rice, I like to think the pans at fault but it’s probably me and the fact that I never make the heat low enough). Or, it separates like homemade mayo always seems to.

However, the mayo issue has been solved!  A few weeks ago, the wonderful people at the NYTimes ran an article in the dinning section about the secret to homemade mayo (apparently water solves many problems).  I was apprehensive I mean water? How could that be the answer to all of my issues?  I decided to trust them (and even make it old school style with a whisk!) and low and behold it came out perfect and I mean PERFECT.  It didn’t break, it thickened beautifully and it was a lovely, shinny, pale color. 

After conquering this mountain, I was at a loss of what to do with it, I was sure it wasn’t going to work and now that it did I was left with a  bowl of mayo and no plan – until I located the plethora of eggs in the fridge.  I made us a beautiful bowl of egg salad.  We consumed it sitting outside in the sun, which made me happy, especially since it had never worked before.

Homemade Mayonnaise

Recipe from the NYTimes

For all you mayo haters (and I know there are lots of you!) try the homemade version. It is so unbelievable different then anything you’ve ever had before.  Not to mention you can add anything to it – The NYTimes article has many suggestions.  I am already dreaming about using the chipotle version to create a Tex-Mex chicken salad…

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cold water

¾ cup neutral oil such as safflower or canola

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and 1 teaspoon cold water until frothy.  Whisking constantly, slowly dribble in the oil until mayonnaise is thick and oil is incorporated.  When the mayonnaise emulsifies and starts to thicken, you can add the oil in a thin stream instead of drop by drop. 

Yield 1 cup

For the egg salad – I used 4 eggs and mixed in salt, pepper, some dry mustard (about half a teaspoon) and some chives, served on toasted whole wheat. Delicious.