Homemade Mayonnaise

What did mayonnaise used to taste like? Ever wonder if this store bought item had a holistic origin? Do you even know what Hellmann's Mayonnaise tastes like or did you grow up on Kraft Miracle Whip Salad Dressing?

I am fortunate, I guess, that I grew up on plain 'ol mayo, store bought--but probably better than Miracle Whip due to the LACK of high fructose corn syrup and sugar.

Now, my grandparents always liked Miracle Whip Salad Dressing. I hated to have sandwiches at their house because this feast consisted of Wonder White bread, pimento loaf deli meat, American cheese, and Miracle Whip.

Amazing, even then my taste buds leaned more towards something slightly more nutritious, like the lime green Marshmallow Salad Grandma had made that morning!

There is nothing better that I like--well I like a few things better; but there is nothing more satisfying--well, a few things are more satisfying; OK, it is gratifying to actually know how your food is made and where most of the products come from.

Did you know that you can actually MAKE your own mayonnaise? The interesting fact is that it probably will take you longer to go to the store and purchase the mayonnaise, than to make it at home. And you won't get to experience the pride as you serve your guests and family mayonnaise that you made that will aide in the digestion of their meal.

You see, store bought mayonnaise is pasteurized, due to the raw eggs included in the recipe. Was that a gasp I heard? (Yes, I am encouraging you to eat raw FARM FRESH eggs. It will give you a chance to visit your local farmer's market.) By using raw and fresh ingredients, and a little bit of whey (remember, it is that yellow liquid that separates and sits on the top of your yogurt) you enable lacto-fermetation that increases the shelf life of your mayonnaise and provides essential nutrients. Give it a try!

Ingredients

1 room temperature egg
1 room temperature egg yolk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbls lemon juice, fresh or bottled
1 tbls whey (either make yogurt or buy organic yogurt at the store)
3/4 - 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
dab of salt

Directions

1. Separate your egg yolk. I use this handy-dandy egg separator from Pampered Chef.

2. Throw, dump or toss your room temperature whole egg, egg yolk, salt, lemon juice, mustard and whey into your food processor, Vita Mix or blender.

Please make sure to put the lid on your blender container. Eggs make good hair mousse, but I wouldn't recommend adding mustard to your hair.
3. Mix, beat, or whip ingredients until they are well blended. (Sounds rather violent, doesn't it?)

4. Add olive oil drop by drop while the blender motor is running, torturing the eggs to achieve the desired consistency you want. I don't always follow this painfully slow process, due to three children hanging on my leg. I have been known to dump most of the olive oil in at once, but it doesn't become thick as easily. Please note that homemade mayonnaise will be slightly more runny than imitation, non-nutritional mayonnaise.

Sorry. I am being harsh. And I have a confession to make--I have both store bought mayonnaise and homemade mayonnaise in my fridge!

Check out the cool view from the top of my Vita Mix. This is exciting kitchen action. Who needs a TV?

As you mix the oil in, the mayonnaise slowly changes color and gets thicker. The egg acts as an emulsifier, thus allowing the olive oil to blend in and all the ingredients to form one continuous substance. For this reason, you must thoroughly blend the ingredients in this recipe to achieve the desired result.

Once thickness is achieved, you may add more lemon or salt, depending on how you like your mayonnaise to taste. Allow the mayonnaise to sit at room temperature, covered, for about 7 hours before you place it in its cold new home. Your mayonnaise will keep for several months, thanks to the lacto-fermentation provided by the whey.

Here is a sandwich that I made for my mom . . .

And she even lived after eating it!