Mayonnaise is often called the mother of sauces. It is easy to make if you remember to have the ingredients at room temperature and move slowly but steadily in adding the oil to the egg yolks. Good store mayonnaise is nice to have on hand for emergency sandwich making, but it bears only a faint resemblance to homemade mayonnaise. It seems to me that a fine salad of chicken or cold asparagus or cold fish deserves only the best of sauces.
Yield:
About 1-1/4 cupsIngredients
1 egg yolk at room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice
1 cup fine olive or salad oil
Instructions
Beat the egg yolk and dry seasonings thoroughly in a small bowl which has been rinsed with hot water and wiped dry; add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and beat again. Beat in oil a few drops at a time until 1/4 cup is used, then add more rapidly. As the mixture becomes thick, add the remaining vinegar. Note: If the oil is added too rapidly the mayonnaise will curdle. To remedy this, beat the curdled mixture slowly into a second egg yolk. Mayonnaise may be made in an electric blender or beater. Just be sure to add the oil slowly at first.
