Homemade Mayo (+ a top secret ingredient)

 

 

  What is southern food without mayonnaise? Not much if you ask me. Unfortunately, it also gets a very bad reputation in the health food world. But fat really shouldn't be as evil of a food as we make it out to be. Our bodies cannot function without it, even the saturated stuff. The beauty about making your own mayo (which is so incredibly easy by the way) is that you control every aspect of what goes into it, and you can seriously ramp up the nutritional value that you just won't get from the grocery store.

  There is much debate over which fats are good and which are bad, and while we have been taught for years to believe that all saturated fats = bad and all mono/polyunsaturated fats = good, that may not necessarily be the case. I won't launch into a lengthy explanation about it, but you can read one here.

  When making your own mayo, you can incorporate the highest quality ingredients such as pastured eggs (which also impart a lovely yellow hue), your choice of oils, flavorings, and amount of salt. The texture is also much smoother and creamier, which is never a bad thing. Now, I have made mayonnaise many times before, but my next two tricks (courtesy of Pinterest) are brand new. And awesome.

 

  Trick #1: The addition of whey

 

  If you make your own yogurt or cheese, you will no doubt be left with the remaining liquid known as whey. You can also strain whey from store bought yogurt if you don't. While it is great to use in everything from biscuits to smoothies, it is also quite helpful in mayo. By adding just a small amount and leaving it out for a few hours, the whey will culture the mayo, allowing it to keep for several months as opposed to a couple of weeks. It also boosts the amount of gut friendly bacteria, something the majority of us sorely lack.

 

  Trick #2: Using an egg yolk when disaster strikes

 

  I would love to tell you that every batch of mayonnaise I have ever made was a creamy dreamy success, but that would be a bold faced lie. I have been left with broken mayonnaise many times (typically when I use machinery as opposed to a good old fashioned whisk for some reason). Usually I would just stow it away in the fridge and occasionally whisk in some warm water to kind of sort of bring it back to its original glory. But if you really want to save the day, just add an egg yolk to the bottom of a bowl, and slowly drizzle in your sad little concoction then whisk like mad. Voila, creamy dreamy success.

 

 

 

Homemade Mayo

 

Ingredients

 

1 large egg, plus 2 large egg yolks

1/4 tsp dry mustard or Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp fine sea salt + more to taste

1/4 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp honey

1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 cups oil (I use 1 3/4 cup sunflower oil and 1/4 cup olive oil)

2 Tbsp of whey

 

Combine the egg, yolks, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, honey, and salt in a bowl with a whisk or blend in your food processor.

Slowly whisk in the oil, drop by drop at first, then gradually in a slow stream until you get an emulsion.

When all of the oil is blended in, add in the whey.

Give it a taste and add more seasonings if needed.

Let your mayo sit out on the counter for 7 hours before putting into the fridge.

 

It will last about 2 months in the refrigerator.