I used a mini food processor with two venting holes on either side of the top handle. This allowed me to slowly add olive oil drop by drop at first, then very slowly increasing to a thin stream using a half teaspoon at a time. The whole mixing process took about ten minutes. I may have gone slower than necessary, but I was determined to be successful!
Mayonnaise is technically a colloidal dispersion - remember your high school chem class - and adding the oil too quickly will prevent the ingredients from mixing properly. I also allowed the egg, lemon juice, and mustard to sit in the food processor until room temperature (about one hour).
I'm always apprehensive about using a raw egg, but the heat of the mini processor and the freshness of the egg probably offset any problems. I tasted the mayonnaise at the end and no bad reactions, so all good. Used mild, inexpensive grocery store olive oil instead of the stronger flavored expensive stuff. Also used dijon mustard, since I was out of the ground mustard. Then end result was a thing of beauty!
Homemade Mayonnaise recipe from Melissa Joulwan's blog The Clothes Make the Girl
Ingredients:
1 egg
2 tablespoons lemon juice @ room temp
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 1 cup olive oil
Directions:
1. Place the egg and lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Let them come to room temperature together, about 30-60 minutes. Add the dry mustard, salt, and 1/4 cup of the oil. Whirl until well mixed – about 20 to 30 seconds.
1. Place the egg and lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Let them come to room temperature together, about 30-60 minutes. Add the dry mustard, salt, and 1/4 cup of the oil. Whirl until well mixed – about 20 to 30 seconds.
THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART!
2. The only remaining job is to incorporate the remaining 1 cup oil into the mixture. To do this, you must pour very slowly… the skinniest drizzle you can manage and still have movement in the oil. This takes about three minutes or so. Think about three minutes during a WOD; it’s a fairly long time. Breathe. Relax. Drizzle slowly.
2. The only remaining job is to incorporate the remaining 1 cup oil into the mixture. To do this, you must pour very slowly… the skinniest drizzle you can manage and still have movement in the oil. This takes about three minutes or so. Think about three minutes during a WOD; it’s a fairly long time. Breathe. Relax. Drizzle slowly.
If you’re using a blender, you’ll hear the pitch change as the liquid starts to form the emulsion. Eventually, the substance inside the blender will start to look like regular mayonnaise, only far more beautiful. Do not lose your nerve and consider dumping! Continue to drizzle.
If your ingredients were all at room temperature and you were patient, you will be rewarded!
