Mayonnaise

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PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Davide Scabin

Mayonnaise is one of the most famous and widespread sauces in the world, but there is some dispute as to its origin. Two of the most accredited schools of thought on the matter go like this: the name mayonnaise derives from the Spanish city of Mahon, where the military cook of Armand de la Porte, Duke of Richelieu, improvised a sauce with raw oil and egg yolk, in 1757.
However, according to the second version, the name mayonnaise comes from an ancient French word, Moyau, which means egg yolk: this sauce is nothing but an egg yolk and oil emulsion, after all. After this brief digression, we are ready as ever to prepare this versatile sauce together with Chef Davide Scabin. Discover how to achieve a mellow and creamy texture to accompany your fish and cold meat dishes, or simply boiled eggs. Mayonnaise is also commonly used to garnish and decorate numerous preparations that take pride of place on festive tables, like Olivier salad!

INGREDIENTS
Ingredients for 1.3 cups (300 g) of mayonnaise
Egg yolks 2 - fresh, at room temperature
Lemon juice 1
Vegetable oil 1 cup (250 g)
White wine vinegar 1 tsp
Black pepper to taste
Fine salt 1 tsp (3 g)
Preparation

How to prepare Mayonnaise

To prepare mayonnaise, place the yolks (from eggs at room temperature) in a deep bowl 1, add a few drops of lemon juice 2 and start lightly beat them with an electric whisk 3 on a medium speed, to give some body to the yolks.

Now gradually add the oil a little at a time and without rushing, so that you don't risk breaking the mayonnaise 4. Add a little more, wait until incorporated, then gradually add some more 5. During this step it is important not to add all the oil in one go, otherwise you could end up with broken mayonnaise. Once you have added around 40-50% of the total amount of seed oil, the consistency of your mixture will already be rather dense, so dilute it with the remaining lemon juice, once more adding a little at a time 6.

Finish adding the remaining oil, gradually and a little at a time 7. Now that the mayonnaise is ready and whipped, add the salt 8, a pinch of pepper 9,

a teaspoon and a half of vinegar 10, and stir once more with the whisk for a few seconds, still on a medium setting 11. Your mayonnaise is ready, delicately place it in a bowl and enjoy it however you like 12.

Storage

Enjoy your mayonnaise freshly made. Alternatively, you can store it for up to 1 day.

Tips

If the mayonnaise breaks, it can still be salvaged. Try adding an ice cube to the mayonnaise to see if the emulsion recovers, and then stir a little. Otherwise, start the preparation once more, with 1 egg yolk, and use the broken mayonnaise instead of the oil!

Use an excellent sunflower or peanut seed oil to make your mayonnaise.