Tuesday, August 15, 2006

in honor of Julia

Lisa at Champaign Taste had the nifty idea to celebrate Julia Child's birthday today by making one of her recipes. I decided to make mayonnaise because I've never done it and always wanted to. To make it even easier, Julia gives Blender Mayonnaise as a variation in Mastering the Art of French Cooking--I couldn't put it off any longer.
I want to say I'm a little embarrassed that I haven't done it before--it was soooo easy.
Julia Child's Blender Mayonnaise
1 whole egg
1/4 tsp dry mustard (I used prepared because I couldn't find dry)
1/2 tsp salt (I used kosher)
1 tbs white wine vinegar (or Julia says you can use lemon juice)
1 cup olive oil (or a mixture of oils)
I put the 1st 3 ingredients in my food processor (figuring it would work as well as the blender--which it did) and whirred it for 30 seconds; added the vinegar and let it go 10 seconds more. Then I poured the oil very slowly into the feed tube--in fact, I put it in by dripped spoonsful, because Julia was emphatic about the need for slowness. I could see it turning into mayonnaise right then and there--it was like a chemistry experiment (and more successful than most of mine were in Sister Gabriella's class).
And voila--le mayonnaise (la mayonnaise?).
I tried it immediately on the classic cheese and tomato-from-the-garden sandwich.
Bon appetit!

Postscript: I just read on megnut that mayonnaise is (possibly) 250 years old this summer. Glad to have observed two anniversaries in one.

8 comments:

Lisa said...

That's great, Lucette. Glad you could join in! It is so easy to make mayo, I don't know why I don't do it more often. Must've been an extra-good sandwich.

Anonymous said...

Wow. You've just removed a significant barrier to my culinary growth: fear o'mayo. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Gosh, Lucette, that is gorgeous mayo. Really. My mother made all our mayo for years and I became a hopeless mayo snob. Not my fault, I couldn't help myself. I've made aioli a month ago, but it's been some time since I made mayo. Yours makes me want to do that!

mary grimm said...

I'm still reeling from how easy it was; like the first time I made bread with yeast (another former bugbear of mine).

K Allrich said...

What decadent-looking mayo! Julia would be proud.

cb said...

Now that you have homemade mayonnaise, lucette, you should consider making homemade pimiento cheese. The Southern Foodways Alliance has several recipes. You can relive your Huntsville days.

mary grimm said...

Homemade pimiemto cheese--that makes my mouth water.

wehotom said...

I'll just have to try that. Thanks!