You know what I haven’t eaten in a long time? Mayonnaise. For years, it grossed me out. The plasticky texture, the taste of pure oil, even the color is wan and sickly.

But like most foods, what you buy in the store is nothing like what you can make at home. Homemade mayonnaise is a pretty yellow (thank you, fresh pastured eggs) with zip from Dijon mustard, tang from lemon juice, and a whisper of flavor from good olive oil. To be blunt, homemade mayonnaise has made me a convert.

Resist the urge to immediately smear this on a piece of bread on your way to making an ALT. You’ll need it for what I’m going to show you tomorrow.

mayonnaise
makes approximately 1-1/2 cups

I’ve read that mayonnaise can do all sorts of scary things like curdle, separate, or dance the electric slide. So far, that hasn’t happened to me, and it’s probably because I use our Vitamix. Is there anything that machine can’t do? The first time I made this, I poured in the oil at a glacial pace and the mayonnaise kept heating up from the Vitamix. If this happens to you, just keep going. I didn’t have any problems with it. The second time, I was quicker with my oil pour and it still turned out great.

2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (to your taste)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup olive oil

Blend eggs, egg yolk, salt, pepper, mustard, and lemon juice in a blender or Vitamix until combined. Continue blending on high while pouring the olive oil in a steady, small stream into the mixture. As it thickens, you may have to slow down the blender. Put in a jar and store in the refrigerator.

photo: Brad