Mayonnaise Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp powdered sugar
• a few grains cayenne
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1.5 cup olive oil

Method

Mayonnaise is an emulsification of egg yolk and oil, stabilised by the lecithin in the yolk and acid from lemon and vinegar. The method demands patience and a cool hand—rush the oil and you'll break the emulsion into a greasy, separated mess.

Whisk the mustard, salt, caster sugar, and cayenne together in a bowl. Add the egg yolks and work them into a pale, homogeneous paste. This base is your platform; the mustard and salt both strengthen the emulsion by helping the yolk proteins cling to the oil droplets. Add half a teaspoon of vinegar and whisk until fully incorporated. Now begin adding the olive oil drop by drop—literally one drop at a time—whilst whisking constantly. The yolk can only absorb a finite amount of oil at any moment; feed it too quickly and the emulsion collapses. After roughly a minute, when the mixture has thickened noticeably and the oil is being absorbed visibly, you can increase the pour to a thin thread. Continue whisking.

Once you've incorporated about half the oil, thin the emulsion with a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar. This loosens the structure just enough to accept more oil without tightening into a ball. Alternate: oil, then acid, then oil again, maintaining a consistency that moves easily under the whisk. The finished egg-based condiment should fall from the whisk in a thick ribbon, neither runny nor so stiff it cracks.

If the emulsion breaks—the oil separates and the mixture turns slick and grainy—don't discard it. Start with a fresh egg yolk in a clean bowl and slowly whisk the broken batch into it as though it were fresh oil. The new yolk's lecithin will re-emulsify the separated fats.

Work in a cool kitchen or set the bowl in a larger bowl of iced water if the room is warm. Chilled oil emulsifies more reliably than room-temperature oil. Finish tasting for salt and acid; mayonnaise should have backbone—let the lemon and vinegar be heard. Use immediately. It will thin slightly when folded into warm meat or vegetables, so make it stiffer than you'd serve it alone.