Mayonnaise

A Brief History About Mayonnaise

The word mayonnaise itself never referred to the sauce until the early nineteenth century. It was during 1806 that the French cook Alexandre Viard referenced the sauce. There have been claims that Viard made the sauce for a party after the victorious siege at Port Mahon, which stemmed the name mahonnaise. At the time, mayonnaise was made with gelatin rather than eggs. A few years later, Viard decided to add eggs to the recipe. This was around the time the word mayonnaise started appearing in neighboring countries, such as Germany and certain countries within the United Kingdom. Since then, mayonnaise has evolved over the years as it spread across the world. Mayonnaise serves a popular base for other sauces, too.

• 1 egg yolk
  
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  
• 2 pinches sugar
  
• 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
  
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  
• 1 cup oil, safflower or corn

Instructions

1. In a glass bowl, whisk together egg yolk and dry ingredients
   
2. In a separate bowl, combine lemon juice and vinegar then throroughly whisk half into the yolk mixture
   
3. Start whisking briskly, then start adding the oil a few drops at a time until the liquid seems to thicken or lighten a bit
   
4. Increase oil flow into a constant thin stream until half the oil is added, then add the rest of the lemon juice. Continue whisking until all of the oil is incorporated
   
5. Leave at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours then refrigerate for up to 1 week