Home Made Mayo, totally full of good fat and loving it!

OK, I know dieters are extremely freaked out by mayo, and we cut carbs and fat and calories until we are basically eating chemically made cardboard cookies and granola bars (all which are sooooo bad for us in truth!) Today I was inspired to look up Julia Child's mayonnaise recipe and I carefully read it because it is something of a chemistry project in the kitchen but felt confident enough with my years of experience in the kitchen to tackle it and let me tell you something my friends, this was like a culinary orgasm in my mouth!!!! I know that is probably a bad choice of words for those easily offended, but try it for yourself. You will think this stuff is almost better than sex from time to time!
I will admit, being the first time it took a whole hour of beating with a mixer and standing there slowly letting the oil drizzle into the bowl but the flavor that rewarded me after was something I just can't even explain! I used olive oil instead of vegetable or any other simply because it is very good for you and I love that olive based flavor to begin with. I simply spread it on some french bread and melted into my couch as I called my mother to tell her that the French are by far my favorite people now. (mayo is from France lol) Sooooo that being said, I copy and pasted the recipe I found online, compliments of... http://www.thenibble.com/REVIEWS/main/condiments/mayonnaise/mayonnaise-recipe.asp apologies for this not being my own, but it was too good not to share. Experiment, share with friends and later I will post the sandwich I am making for dinner with it.

The following directions are for a hand-beaten sauce (using a wire whisk). For electric beaters, use the large bowl and the “moderately fast” speed for whipping cream
. Continually push the sauce into the beater blades with a rubber scraper.

Ingredients

* Round-bottomed, 2½ to 3-quart glazed pottery, glass or stainless steel mixing bowl
. Set it in a heavy casserole or saucepan to keep it from slipping.
* 3 egg yolks
* Large wire whisk
* 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
or lemon juice (more drops as needed)
* ½ teaspoon salt
* ¼ teaspoon dry or prepared mustard
* 1½ to 2¼ cups of olive oil, salad oil or a mixture of each. If the oil is cold, heat it to tepid; and if you are a novice, use the minimum amount (I only used one cup and did fine)
* 2 tablespoons boiling water

Directions

1. Warm the bowl in hot water; dry it. Add the egg yolks and beat for 1 to 2 minutes until they are thick and sticky.
2. Add the vinegar or lemon juice, salt and mustard. Beat for 30 seconds more.
3. The egg yolks are now ready to receive the oil. While it goes in, drop by drop, you must not stop beating until the sauce has thickened. A speed of 2 strokes per second is fast enough. You can switch hands or switch directions, as long as you beat constantly.
4. Add the drops of oil with a teaspoon, or rest the lip of the bottle on the edge of the bowl. Keep your eye on the oil rather than on the sauce. Stop pouring and continue beating every 10 seconds or so, to be sure the egg yolks are absorbing the oil.
5. After 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oil has been incorporated, the sauce will thicken into a very heavy cream and the crisis of potential curdling is over. The beating arm may rest a moment. Then, beat in the remaining oil by 1 to 2 tablespoon dollops, blending it thoroughly after each addition.
6. When the sauce becomes too thick and stiff, beat in drops of vinegar or lemon juice to thin it out. Then continue with the oil.
7. Beat the boiling water into the sauce. This is an anti-curdling insurance. Season to taste.
8. If the sauce is not used immediately, scrape it into a small bowl and cover it tightly so a skin will not form on its surface.

Tips For Making Mayonnaise

Julia Child’s tips for homemade mayonnaise:

* Room Temperature: Have all ingredients at room temperature. If they aren’t, warm the mixing bowl in hot water to take the chill off the egg yolks; heat the oil to tepid if it is cold.
* Egg Yolks: Always beat the yolks for a minute or two before adding anything to them. When they are thick and sticky, they are ready to absorb the oil.
* Adding The Oil: The oil must be added very slowly at first, in droplets, until the emulsion process begins and the sauce thickens into a heavy cream. Then, the oil may be incorporated more rapidly.
* Proportions: The maximum amount of oil one large egg yolk can absorb is six ounces, or ¾ cup. When this maximum is exceeded, the binding properties of the egg yolks break down, and the sauce thins out or curdles. If you have never made mayonnaise before, it is safest not to exceed ½ cup of oil per egg yolk. Here is a table giving proportions for varying amounts of sauce:

Number Yolks Cups Of Oil Vinegar Or Lemon Juice Finished Sauce
2 1 to 1½ cups 2 to 3 tablespoons 1¼ to 1¾ cups
3 1½ to 2¼ cups 3 to 5 tablespoons 2 to 2¾ cups
4 2 to 3 cups 4 to 6 tablespoons 2½ to 3-2/3 cups

6


3 to 4½ cups
6 to 10 tablespoons 3¾ to 5½ cups