INGREDIENTS
2 egg yolks
1 cup light olive oil
lemon juice
salt
METHOD
Place egg yolks in a clean bowl or processor and begin to whisk vigorously – always in the same direction.
While whisking, pour a steady but very fine and continuous stream of olive oil in the eggs. DO NOT STOP WHISKING AS THIS POINT IS MAKE OR BREAK! As the eggs absorb the oil, the mixture will thicken.
When the mayonnaise is ready (holding a shape), season to taste with lemon juice and salt.
NOTES
If the oil is added too quickly, the eggs will separate. Do not persist in flogging a 'dead' egg; it'll never come round. Start fresh in a clean bowl with just one egg yolk. Once the oil has taken the mayonnaise is forming, you can then steadily add the separated mixture in a slow stream while still whisking vigorously in one direction. Continue adding oil until you have the quantity you need.
7 tasty transformations
Could anything be more magical than the beating of oil into egg yolk to produce that most sublime and useful of sauces, mayonnaise? Wel, yes ... even more magical is the way basic mayonnaise can be transformed by making simple charges or additions. Obvious examples are the basic pink cocktail sauce served with shrimp and avocado achieved by the addition of tomato ketchup, brandy, Worcestershire sauce, and a pinch of paprika.
Adapt this for shrimp cocktail using shredded iceberg lettuce. Or try hanging juicy cooked chilled Mediterranean shrimp like synchronized swimmers around a bowl filled with crushed ice and some of this sauce set in the middle. Traditionally lightly whipped cream was added to this sauce for an even more delicate color and texture. Try adding a little cream and a drop of rose water.
This sauce is traditionally served with sliced cold veal in a dish known as vitello tonnato. It is also delicious with any cold white meat, fish or cooked eggs.
This garlic mayonnaise, also known as aioli, is to vampires what meat is to vegetarians.
