BRATTLEBORO — It's June, and that means the house starts to fill up with an eclectic gathering of people who might or might not easily mix and match but who all agree on their need to be fed.
I stand at the kitchen counter with a dizzying background of small loud children running around the furniture, a visitor from the city experimenting with cochineal dye in the bathroom, a discussion of bond trading overheard through the screen door, a sweetheart who is vainly trying to sweep up cookie crumbs from the rug, and a cat who is meowing desperately to get outside.
How can such disparate elements be brought together?
Answer: make some mayonnaise.
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“Immiscible” is what we call the ingredients that go into mayonnaise. Webster defines this quality as not forming a homogeneous mixture when added together. Oil and water are the simplest example of immiscible liquids, as oil will always rise to the top.
It is the addition of an emulsifying agent that makes it possible for such disparate ingredients to combine into one. Emulsification is one of the great classic culinary tools and is responsible for some seriously divine sauces: mayonnaise, aioli, romesco, hollandaise, béarnaise, beurre blanc, beurre monté.
There is chemistry behind this miracle, and without getting too technical I will attempt to explain it. The scientific aspect of cooking is quite fascinating. By understanding what is actually happening when you make mayonnaise, you can really end up making it better.
There are two types of emulsification: temporary and permanent. When you shake oil and vinegar together in a jar, they blend for a short time, but if left to sit, the oil will again separate and float to the top.
By adding an emulsifying agent that is soluble in both oil and water, you can create a permanent emulsification like mayonnaise.
Enter the egg yolk, which contains lecithin. Lecithin is made up of molecules that have two different connectors: a hydrophobic end and a hydrophilic end.
The prefix hydro- means water. The suffix -phobic means fear and -philic means love. Sugar and salt are hydrophilic, which is why when sprinkled on fruits and vegetables they pull liquid out. Hosta leaves are coated with a waxy substance that makes them hydrophobic, which is why rain drops form beautiful beads on top of them.
Those respective ends of the lecithin molecules bind both the liquid and oil together into a creamy emulsion. The hydrophobic end repels water and binds with the oil, and the hydrophilic repels oil and binds with the water.
Voilà! Mayonnaise.
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But it is not so easy as just mixing them all together. When making an egg-yolk emulsion there are a few important guidelines.
First is the freshness of the egg. Those among you who wish to avoid raw eggs will also want to avoid this recipe. For the rest of us, just use the freshest, most local eggs you can find.
Next is the proportion of oil to yolk. One large egg yolk will absorb, or hold, about one cup of oil. Any more and the emulsion will break, and you will be left with a thin, runny, oily liquid.
Thirdly, for most mayonnaise you want to use a combination of a flavorless oil like high-quality canola and a smaller amount of extra-virgin olive oil. I use 75 percent canola, 25 percent olive oil.
One of my mayonnaise-making techniques is to mix the oil in one of those plastic squeeze bottles you can buy at Brown and Roberts or your local hardware or kitchen store. That way you can really control the flow of oil into yolk and not worry about spilling.
Lastly, your mayonnaise needs the addition of an acidic ingredient such as lemon juice or vinegar. Make sure the lemon juice is freshly squeezed and that the vinegar has a good flavor.
And all your ingredients should be at room temperature.
Mayonnaise can be made in a food processor, but what fun is that? You can have science at your fingertips by using a sturdy whisk and bowl. A bowl tends to slide around the counter, so I use a rubber trivet underneath, which makes it much more stable. A slightly damp dish towel works just as well.
Mayonnaise
This recipe makes approximately 1 cup of mayonnaise, which is usually more than enough for a one-time use, though it will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Place in a plastic squeeze bottle:
¶{3/4} cup canola oil
¶{1/4} cup of olive oil
Gently shake to mix.
Place in your bowl:
¶1 large egg yolk
¶a pinch of salt
¶1{1/2} teaspoon lemon juice
Whisk moderately until the yolk lightens in color and texture.
Now here comes the magic. Begin to whisk in the oil, drop by drop. That means drop by drop - not a squeeze, not a stream, but one drop at a time.
When you see the mixture start to thicken a bit and look slightly creamy, you can increase the oil flow to a tiny stream, whisking all the time. Continue until you have whisked in all the oil. You should have a fantastic creamy, thick mixture that looks just like, and is, mayonnaise!
Taste your beautiful mayonnaise and add a bit more salt and a few more drops of lemon juice if it tastes a bit bland.
Now make yourself a BLT or, better yet, get out that container with the leftover asparagus from last night's dinner and dip the stalks one by one into the mayonnaise and eat them all by yourself standing at the counter. Few things are better.
If your mayonnaise did not emulsify properly, do not despair. Just take a clean bowl, another yolk and use the liquidy-not-quite-mayonnaise as you did the oil, whisking it into the yolk drop by drop. If the mayonnaise ends up too thick, whisk in a few drops of water.
Having now mastered this great culinary exercise, you can expand your skills by making flavored mayonnaise.
Add minced basil or a handful of your favorite herbs, try sriracha sauce, puréed chipotle in adobo, or harissa for a spicy touch that is great with poached shrimp, and puréed avocado for a great spread on that BLT. Or you can use lime juice instead of lemon, then add lime zest and some minced cilantro.
The possibilities are endless.
Homemade tartar sauce
Make:
¶1 cup homemade mayonnaise (recipe above)
Add:
¶a few tablespoons of chopped sour pickle
¶a few tablespoons of capers
¶1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon.
Thousand island dressing
Make:
¶1 cup homemade mayonnaise (recipe above)
Add:
¶3-4 tablespoons mild chili sauce
¶2 tablespoons minced sweet onion
¶1 tablespoon sweet pickle juice
¶1 tablespoon jarred peppers
Green goddess dressing
Make:
¶1 cup homemade mayonnaise (recipe above)
Add:
¶2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
¶2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, minced
¶2 tablespoons fresh scallions, minced
¶2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced
¶2 tablespoons sour cream
Dressing for Caesar salad
Make:
¶1 cup homemade mayonnaise (recipe above)
Add:
¶2 garlic cloves, mashed into a paste
¶a pinch of salt
¶2 anchovy fillets
¶1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¶1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce.
Blue cheese dressing
Make:
¶1 cup homemade mayonnaise (recipe above)
Add:
¶{1/4} cup crumbled blue cheese
¶{1/4} cup cream
¶1 tablespoon fennel seeds
¶{1/4} cup parmesan cheese, grated
¶1 teaspoon lemon zest
Fish sandwich
Slather blue cheese dressing on top of a fresh fillet of fish - bluefish works particularly well - and bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and golden on top. The mayo keeps the fish moist and provides a built-in sauce.
Very best grilled cheese sandwich
The very best grilled-cheese sandwich can be had by spreading mayonnaise on the outside of the bread before cooking over low heat in a nonstick pan.
The result is crispy and golden and delicious with an extra flavor that adds a bit of piquancy.
Dessert sauce
For a quick dessert sauce for fresh fruit, make:
¶1 cup homemade mayonnaise (recipe above)
Add:
¶{1/2} cup honey
¶Zest and juice of 1 lemon or lime
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I have, as you can see, gone mayonnaise crazy. But it's just so easy to make and so versatile to use and perfect for summer. I now go to the Farmers' Market with an eye to what local food is in season and goes with mayonnaise!
We all need emulsifying agents, don't you think, to smooth things out and make people come together? Perhaps the most successful emulsifying agent is food.
Cooking can be the easiest and most satisfying way to combine those immiscible people you occasionally find standing in your kitchen, waiting to be brought together.
Happy emulsifying.