In a recent food science class we made mayonnaise. Most of the class grimaced when we were given the assignment, but I was sort of excited: I'd always wanted to try it but hadn't had the nerve (or the full cup of olive oil to potentially ruin). Each person in the class used a different method or oil. Hand mixers, blenders, whisks, food processors and immersion blenders whirred to life and peanut, olive, and canola oils were lined up in our kitchens. My partner and I started with a cooked egg base that included dried mustard, vinegar and pepper. Our oil of choice, olive, was dribbled and then thinly streamed in. I nearly broke a sweat beating mine and my arm was seriously tired when I was done, but it was so cool to watch it come together under my whisk. Once the mayonnaises had emulsified we set them out in little dishes to compare with the rest of the class's.
The immersion blender, food processor and blender all made perfect emulsions, fluffy and rich. The two whisked mayonnaises were....well, less perfect. My whisked version had come out lovely and thick, but it broke emulsion about 5 minutes later. Perhaps my partner had been too eager in her oil pouring near the end? The flavor was a little off as well with a bitter aftertaste, even though my partner and I had used the same base and oil.
The best tasting mayo, in my opinion, was the blender canola oil one that had been made with a raw egg base. It was rich, but light on the tongue. The best color, and the silkiest was my partner's olive oil batch, but even hers had a bit of that bitter background flavor. Maybe the oil had started to turn? In any case, our instructor said we could take home our mayos if we liked. Everyone declined, leaving me to scoop up 2 batches! That's like money in the bank, people! I took the blender one and my partner's olive oil batch and mixed them together, which ameliorated the bitter flavor. So now I have this lovely glass jar of fluffy cream-colored mayonnaise sitting in my fridge. I wasn't sure what I might do with it but inspiration struck today. I made a dip and a spread: one with dill and mustard to dip crudite and steamed green beans (I cut the richness with some plain yogurt), and the other with a dollop of pesto to use as a spread on crackers or sandwiches. Mm. And...there's still a cup and a half left!
The immersion blender, food processor and blender all made perfect emulsions, fluffy and rich. The two whisked mayonnaises were....well, less perfect. My whisked version had come out lovely and thick, but it broke emulsion about 5 minutes later. Perhaps my partner had been too eager in her oil pouring near the end? The flavor was a little off as well with a bitter aftertaste, even though my partner and I had used the same base and oil.
The best tasting mayo, in my opinion, was the blender canola oil one that had been made with a raw egg base. It was rich, but light on the tongue. The best color, and the silkiest was my partner's olive oil batch, but even hers had a bit of that bitter background flavor. Maybe the oil had started to turn? In any case, our instructor said we could take home our mayos if we liked. Everyone declined, leaving me to scoop up 2 batches! That's like money in the bank, people! I took the blender one and my partner's olive oil batch and mixed them together, which ameliorated the bitter flavor. So now I have this lovely glass jar of fluffy cream-colored mayonnaise sitting in my fridge. I wasn't sure what I might do with it but inspiration struck today. I made a dip and a spread: one with dill and mustard to dip crudite and steamed green beans (I cut the richness with some plain yogurt), and the other with a dollop of pesto to use as a spread on crackers or sandwiches. Mm. And...there's still a cup and a half left!
No comments:
Post a Comment