Mayonnaise and Variations

[downsizingnow48]

Making mayonnaise by hand is very laborious but with a food processor it is easy. Just takes a few minutes. You can get it exactly the way you like and leave out the preservatives, sugars, salts, corn syrup, and thickeners in store bought mayonnaise.

This is our basic mayonnaise and then just a few of the endless variations. Your choice of vegetable oil matters - each has distinctive flavors. You can mix them up to get the balance of tastes you want. I usually use grapeseed oil. We use the basic mayonnaise and variations with grilled meat, potatoes, vegetables, sandwiches, just about anything.

Ingredients

2 whole eggs
2 cups vegetable oil approximately
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice to taste
salt to taste
white pepper to taste (black pepper makes little black flecks in the mayonnaise)
1-2 teaspoons of dry english mustard powder
1-2 teaspoons of drained and rinsed capers, pressed in a garlic press
optional: 1-2 teaspoons of white sugar
optional: 1-2 teaspoons of cider or balsamic or red wine vinegar

Preparation

Crack the eggs into a food processor and whip for 20 seconds or so. With the food processor on, add vegetable oil in a very thin continuous stream. Start very slowly on adding oil, it is easy at the beginning to break the sauce. When the mayonnaise is at the consistency you want (this takes just a minute or two), add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, mustard and capers. Whip it up for another minute or so. Let it set in the refrigerator for a couple hours.

Chipotle or Green Chile Mayonnaise

Starting with the basic mayonnaise recipe:
Leave out the capers and the mustard.
Add 1-4 canned chipotle peppers with some of the sauce. This will give you a chipotle flavor ranging from mild to very robust. Whip everything up in the food processor. Optional: use canned green chiles instead of chipotle for a milder flavor.

Garlic Mayonnaise

Starting with the basic mayonnaise recipe:
Add 2-6 large garlic cloves. Press them first before putting in the food processor. Then whip it all up until well blended.
Optional: 1-2 teaspoons of rubbed sage.

Green Peppercorn Mayonnaise

Starting with the basic mayonnaise recipe:
Leave out the mustard.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of bottled green peppercorns, rinsed and crushed. Use more or less to get the flavor you want.

 

[bunyip]

We use a basic recipe of egg yolk, vinegar (infused with herb of choice) and extra virgin olive oil, never had much luck the food processor but find a plastic/nylon whisk on the hand held mixer works, don't know why but the metal whisk just won't work.
One variation we use for our eggplant and crumbed chicken is one cup of cumin infused olive oil, get the oil hot but not to frying temperature and add one teaspoon of fresh ground cumin, allow to cool then make mayo in the usual manner using this oil, a delicate taste but it is there, pan fry eggplant slices in oil until the colour up, and plate, saute the flattened crumbed chicken and place on top and top with the mayo, a really nice dish and simple.
Another thing I discovered recently is that oil is not good for you, well the oil is OK but they add preservatives to a lot of it so it can be re used and by law are not required to put this on the container (not here anyway) and these preservatives are a long term problem, you can buy gourmet oils direct from some farms but the cost makes it prohibitive for every day use.

 

[Bird]

Interesting recipes; never tried making our own mayonnaise. Of course I've always liked fried eggplant (and chicken, of course). Just never used any mayonnaise on it like that. Sounds good to me.

 

[txdon]

For those with heart disease or don't want to get heart disease just eliminate the processed oils and dairy products.

This variation is surprisingly good and comes from the "Forks over Knives" cooking course.

Roasted Garlic and Onion Buttah

Step 1: The Flavor Base

1/4 cup raw garlic, peeled.
2 cups shallot or white onion peeled and cubed
2-3 cups vegetable stock
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme
black pepper to taste

Put in a casserole dish and just cover with vegetable stock and cook for 35-40 minutes, stir occasionally. Remove from oven as soon as liquids has nearly evaporated and the onion and garlic are just caramelized. Remove the fresh herb sprigs.

Step 2: Finishing the Buttah

1 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked in 3 cups of warm water until soft then drained
1/4 cup non-dairy milk

Add the ingredients in step i and 2 in a food processor and blend till smooth.

Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. For longer storage you can place the buttah in ice cube trays or larger blocks in the freezer for later use.
Add to cooked potatoes for a wonderful oil free, low sodium mash, or spread on your favorite whole grain bread for a healthy twist on garlic bread.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I like the idea of the cumin infused mayo for eggplant, never thought to use mayo on fried eggplant but sounds good to me too.

I don't know much about veg oil but try to use oils that have no preservatives added and are made mechanically (pressed) rather than with chemical solvents. Who knows what is actually in procssed foods though.

Have not heard of that buttah spread but it sounds tasty and healthy for sure.

 

[RobertN]

My Grandmother used to make her own Mayo.

One of my favorite memories is summer time tomato sandwiches. Fresh tomatoes out of her garden, cut thick, on wheat bread with homemade mayo, and a little salt.