Saturday, May 29, 2010

Saturday Afternoon QUICKIE - homemade mayonnaise


What is a "QUICKIE" anyway?...hmmmmm, found this online: "Very little foreplay, quick finish. Usually 5 minutes, start to finish.." Perfect! Since I've demonstrated how blog challenged I am this year, a speedy, once a week drop-in is JUST what the doctor ordered (wink!).
So clear your calendar, I'm all yours for 5 minutes every Saturday afternoon...rawr

Let's make homemade mayonnaise - YUM...

The History of Mayo
Mayonnaise was invented in 1756 by the French chef of the Duc de Richelieu. After the Duc beat the British at Port Mahon, his chef created a victory feast that was to include a sauce made of cream and eggs. Realizing that there was no cream in the kitchen, the chef substituted olive oil for the cream and a new culinary creation was born. The chef named the new sauce "Mahonnaise" in honor of the Duc's victory.

Okay - now that the history lesson is over, let's move on to my super quick, easy and delicious way of making gourmet garlic mayonnaise :) Oh, and did I forget to mention that my version is based on an old German recipe? Yay Deutschland!! Get ready to be converted -



Garlic Mayonnaise makes approx. 1-1 1/2 cups?
1 fresh large egg
1 tsp. mustard (creamy German or Dijon type)
2 tsp. high quality apple cider vinegar (I ONLY use Bragg Organic with the "Mother" in it!)
250 ml sunflower oil (other oils can taste bitter, sunflower always works well)
1 small clove of garlic, very finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

First things first...all the ingredients should be at room temperature - the mayo may not emulsify properly if you cheat here.
For convenience, I always use a large wide-mouth canning jar for both preparation and refrigerator storage. Sort of Hillbilly, yes..but it works.
Start by cracking in your egg and adding the vinegar. With your handheld mixer, give it a couple of pulses to begin the process. You want the egg yolk and white to appear properly broken and combined.



Now, for the important step, the oil.....
S-l-o-w-l-y drizzle the oil in a thin and constant stream while mixing with the handheld mixer at medium speed. You've hit the target if you begin to quickly see the miracle of emulsification!



After the oil has been properly incorporated and your mixture has reached the desired texture, it's time to add your garlic, mustard and spices.



And BAM, you've just made the best tasting mayonnaise ever!

And here is my Hillbilly way to store it in the fridge...with a canning ring - I screw a plastic sandwich bag onto the jar. It works, it's easy and can be thrown away after you've consumed the last of the mayo. MAKE SURE you use the mayo within 4 days (I actually went a day or so longer once...I'm still alive :)) - this stuff is fresh, not processed like the garbage on the grocery store shelf. Plus, the whole SHA-bang should only take you about...5 minutes. :)



Thanks for the QUICKIE (wink!), I'll see ya next week!

Crickets!!! I'm hearing CRICKETS!!

Welcome back to my archaic blog. Started years ago as merely a creative "mommy" outlet, now, it is simply therapy for boredom. ;) ...