homemade mayonnaise

its a wednesday afternoon, dylan is at work and i’ve boiled some eggs in hopes to surprise him w/ an egg salad sandwich evening picnic.  mid-process i realize the only mayonnaise to be had is a non-organic brand containing soy… dang!  there was a time when i was the kinda of girl who was not particular about mayo, i just loved it.  these days i am growing more vigilant about products containing soy.  so what does one do when there’s no mayo and the store seems too far away?  make it from scratch, of course!  amazingly simple and neat.  fresh organic eggs will go a long way in taking this recipe from good to absolutely delicious.  homemade mayo is a great salad dressing, raw veg dip, fresh bread dip, open-faced sandwich drizzle, rice bowl topping and salmon drencher.  Lots of good options, and all boost the health. nice one.  the key to a nice firm mayonnaise is temperature, cool ingredients don't emulsify too well.  if my kitchen is particularly cool, i will run my blender container under warm water, making sure to dry it thoroughly before adding the ingredients.  i also like to add a bit of coconut oil for stability, the small amount doesn't affect the taste and boosts the nutritional value.

1 egg -room temp

1 egg yolk -room temp

1 tsp dijon style mustard

1 1/2 tbl lemon juice   

1 tbl whey -optional*

3/4 - 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbl coconut oil softened or at room temp

generous pinch of sea salt 

chopped herbs, chili powder, minced olives, cracked pepper: be creative if that's your gift.

In a blender/food processor/vita-mix place your egg, egg yolk, mustard, salt, lemon juice and whey.  put a lid on and hit go, process for around 30 seconds.  this next part can be tricky as you will want to add the olive oil bit by bit w/ the motor running.  keeping the speed on medium, carefully remove the and slowly add olive oil, drop by drop.  midway through, add the coconut oil in the same manner.  finish with the olive oil.

Taste test for saltiness and tang adding more salt or lemon if you want, the flavor should 'pop' without tasting lemony.  transfer to a glass jar and label w/ the date.  i like to add my herbs and spices now, to the jar as opposed to the blender, its just too easy to over-pulverize in the blender.  its easiest to mix them in with a spoon or spatula.   store finished mayo in the refrigerator.  If you are using whey, let the mayo sit at room temp (well covered) for 7 hours before refrigeration to culture.  it seems important to note that sometimes homemade mayo will be more liquid than store bought versions.  often, if you have used whey, it will get firmer over time.  mayo with whey will last a few weeks in the fridge, without whey, about a week.

*the addition of whey increases longevity of your mayo and imparts extra nutrients and enzymes without out imparting a particular flavor.