Making Groceries: Mayonnaise

It’s about time we stumbled down a make-believe condiment aisle to make our own isn’t it?

This week Making Groceries is all about mayonnaise.  Let me dedicate it to my husband, who is a major mayo freak.  It’s Father’s Day weekend after all. Personally, I don’t favor condiments all that much, but I guess mayo is my favorite.  I mostly use it as an ingredient in dishes like potato salad, but there is one special recipe in which I love to use as a dip: Mom’s Fried Artichoke Hearts (recipe follows).

I devised this recipe by searching about 10 mayonnaise recipes and putting the basics together to suit my own pallet.  I love lemon juice, so I chose that over vinegar.  I also love grapeseed oil for its clean taste and health benefits, but you can use whatever oil you prefer.  If you choose olive oil, you may want to go 50-50 with a lighter oil to balance flavors.  I adore sea salt and white pepper, so those were added as well.  My homemade version of mayonnaise is much fresher than the manufactured brands.  The lemon is quite bright and may even be classified as assertive.  For a milder flavor, you can substitute white wine vinegar, but I like to eat food that talks back to me.  In fact, this recipe may have been a huge mistake, because I am currently trying to lose weight so starting a mayo addiction may have been a dumb move.

juice of 1 lemon (about 3 T)
egg yolk at room temperature
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t fine sea salt
large pinch of white pepper
3/4 c grapeseed oil

1.  Mix all ingredients except the oil in the bottom of the cup of an immersion blender or at the bottom of a mixing bowl.  Beat until slightly frothy.

2.  Add oil a drop at a time.  DO NOT RUSH this process.  Make sure each drop is well incorperated before adding more.  Once it starts to thicken and look like mayo, you can stream oil in VERY slowly.  Pause every few seconds to make sure it is incorporating well.  This should take about 7 minutes.

3.  Use right away or store in the refrigerator for a week and a half.

Recipe Notes

To be honest, it took me four tries to get this recipe right.  That surprised me because I’ve seen chefs on TV do it with ease.  These are my notes to avoid failure.

1.  Don’t use a large food processor.  I tried this, but the bottom blade didn’t hit the ingredients well enough to blend them, so the mayo never thickened.  A smaller food processor may work, but check to see if the blade will hit it.  A hand mixer or whisk can also work, but use a bowl large enough to avoid splatters.

2.  It is really important to baby this recipe and add the oil very slowly.  Rushing will ruin it.

3.  A room temperature egg is also key.  If you forgot to leave an egg out for a few hours, you can cheat by soaking one in a bowl of hot tap water for ten minutes, but make sure it is room temperature before you use it.

4.  Because you are using a raw egg yolk, make sure it is really fresh and don’t leave this mayo sitting out on the counter.  There is a very slight risk of salmonella, so use your own caution and judgement.

Mom’s Fried Artichoke Hearts

This is a classic comfort food from my mom’s kitchen.  I have a very fond memory of her picking me up from a closing shift when I was in my early twenties.  It had been a very long, very bad day.  Instead of taking me to my apartment, she drove me to her house.  Without much talking, she fried artichokes while I sat in the yellow chair at the end of her counter.  We are talkers, so the quiet was quite unusual.  Sometimes you have to either say everything or nothing, and I was tired that night.  Even though I was a grown woman with a job, health insurance and my own home, I suddenly felt the deep comfort of being taken care of by my mother.  This recipe is not healthy, but food is meant to nourish more than just our bodies.  This dish nourishes my soul.

1 can of quartered artichoke hearts, not the oil-cured kind
1/2 c flour
a few T butter
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed by the flat edge of a knife, but still in tact
sea salt
1/3 c mayo

1.  Drain the artichoke hearts well.  Place them in a bag with the flour and shake to coat well.

2.  Heat a large skillet over a medium high flame.  Melt 2-3 T butter to coat your pan well.  Add garlic cloves and let them flavor the butter as it heats.

3.  Shake any excess flour off of the artichokes before you put them in the hot pan.  Fry for a few minutes without pestering them until golden brown.  Gently turn them and repeat until all sides have a light golden crust.  Remove from heat, sprinkle with sea salt.  Serve warm with mayo as a dip.  Savor the love.

The Bottom Line

I struggled with this recipe, so I’m feeling a little burned at the moment.  You shouldn’t have any problems though because the final recipe works beautifully.  I certainly love the taste.  Once I finally got the recipe right, although it required care, it took less than ten minutes to make.  It’s definitely a nice upgrade from the store brands.

Mayonnaise has various price points, but I think this version should be compared to a nicer brand which runs about $4.89 for 36  ounces.  This cost me $2.02 for about 8 ounces, so it is definitely not a bargain.  Using less expensive oil and cheap vinegar would cut the cost.  That it what the manufacturers do.

The value in this mayonnaise comes from its flavor and freshness.  If you don’t want to eat preservatives and stabilizers, this one’s for you.  If you want the best taste, this one’s for you.  The lemon is divine.  If you’re looking for a deal, I’ve seen a huge jug at Walmart for $2.50.  Choose your own adventure, but remember: you are what you eat.