Flavored mayonnaise

[hfaze]

how do you make flavored mayo? will duke's work or should i make it from scratch. what's the best way to make a basil wasabi mayonnaise? drop cut basil and wasabi powder (paste) in to mayo and stir? what about chipotle mayo?

i'm asking for a generalized technique for the newbies.

thanks

[Jinmyo]

I have no idea what "duke's" might be. You could drop whatever you want into a prepared mayonnaisse (I suggest the Japanese brand Kewpie) but the unless you let the flavourings sit for a few hours to infuse, you would just wind up with bits of weird stuff in your mayo.

But there is little else easier to make than mayo. Whether with a bowl and whisk. a processor, or a blender: One whole egg, one yolk, a bit of citrus juice or vinegar, beat until smooth; add oil in a thin stream and whip until it thickens; as it thickens you can start to glug the oil; keep going until it's the consistency you want. Add seasonings just after you start to glug the oil. The whole deal is about three minutes.

Buying the stuff takes longer.

[Fat Guy]

For the basil-wasabi mayo you'll get best results by getting your wasabi and your basil into paste format first. You do this by basically making a basil-wasabi pesto in the food processor: Clean the basil leaves of stems and process them with the wasabi, some oil and a little salt. With the wasabi, it's best to start with fresh, second choice paste, last choice powder. Then blend everything thoroughly into the mayonnaise. Then you can think about how to spruce it up: A little extra lemon juice, for example. Rest it awhile before serving.

[hfaze]

duke's is a famous brand of manyonnaise in the southern us (at least in nc, my parents and grandparents swear by it).

glad to know the process is simple! i'll try it soon. thanks!

[Ron Johnson]

I like Duke's, but I like homemade better. I use a recipe pretty close to Jin's, but with the addition of a teaspoon of dijon mustard. I think it helps bind the oil and egg emulsion.

[Fat Guy]

I second the addition of mustard. Also, the oil is important. This is one place where cheapshit flavor-neutral vegetable oil gives more satisfying results than olive oil.

[Ron Johnson]

cheapshit flavor-neutral vegetable oil

Now, is that written on the label somewhere?

[Jinmyo]

Ron, I use Dijon as well. Usually. I was just leaving room for whatever flavourings and seasonings are desired.

Steve, I know whereof you speak. But I'll often use a good (not excellent) grade of EVOO because I'm a bad person and I love that taste.

[Fat Guy]

cheapshit flavor-neutral vegetable oil

Now, is that written on the label somewhere?

I think it's part of the bar code.

[Bux]

Why do I not find it surprising that Fat Guy can read bar codes without a scanner--or indeed, that he can glean information from then beyond the reach of ordinary scanners. I've seen the red lights in his eyes, by the way, lest the rest of you have doubts.

I have to go with Jin on this one, although perhaps it's an acquired taste and not for all dishes. There is nothing quite so wonderful as a hand made, all yolk and fruity extra virgin olive oil mayonnaise. A little mustard is fine. You have to love the flavor of your oil. There was a time in my life, and if wasn't all that long ago in reltive terms, that I found the taste of a good EVOO more than a bit overpowering, and it was long after I acquired a taste for olives without gin that I took to the really flavorful oils I now love.

I'd not familiar with Duke's mayonnaise. Can anyone compare it to Hellman's? While bottled "mayo" offers some added safeguard against salmonella, it's of relatively little concern to me as I eat my softboiled eggs very runny anyway. I find bottled mayos taste of sugar, but if you consume a lot of bottled sauces and dressings, or frequently use ketchup in large quantities, the sugar is not likely to be noticeable.

[Varmint]

Duke's was started in Greenville, SC and is still made there, but is now owned by a Richmond-based company, I believe. There's no sugar in Duke's, they don't use egg whites as filler, and they still use a flavorful cider vinegar.

Check out the Duke's website: http://www.dukesmayo.com/ind.shtm

[Ron Johnson]

Duke's v. Hellmans.

Duke's is not as startlingly white and has more of a pronounced flavor. It is also not quite as stiff as Hellmans. I prefer it, although I think Hellmans is a fine product.

[Jinmyo]

Kewpie, the first and best Japanese mayo, made by the Q.P. Corporation. The bottle is made from the same kind of material as is used for, um, well, things. It's not only squeezable but bendable.

[Bux]

Kewpie

Is that a clear bottle, or a white bottle? Any idea about what's in it?

[hfaze]

i've seen kewpie at the local (and only) japanese grocer in the city (charlotte, nc, if you know of another japanese store, lemme know) and almost bought it a few times, but found another box of pocky to be a wiser purchase. i'll have to pick some up this weekend.

i'll make up a few batches of mayo using mustard and other flavorings. i'll just give the extra to my parents - they eat much more of it than i've ever dared to.

this is all great advice!

[Deades]

Dukes v. Hellmans (Best Foods) for us West Coasters

I have to say I prefer the taste of Dukes to Hellmanns. It is not as sweet and has a better consistency. (Not as good as homemade but in a crunch it will do.) I was recently In North Carolina on vacation and made sure to pack an empty suitcase so I could bring back Dukes Mayo, White Lily Flour (perfect biscuits) and stone ground grits. Unfortunately I found one of the bags of grits scattered throughout the backyard this morning. Does anyone want a dog? She also got the kosher salt and high gluten flour!

[Priscilla]

When commercial mayonnaise is indicated I use Best Foods made with lime juice, in the orange-top jar, findable at some markets. It says mayonesa con jugo de limon on the label, with the familiar Best Foods logo present as well.

It's very good; I like Best Foods anyway, but I think the flavor of this, obviously intended for the "ethnic" consumer, is superior. But then I mostly use lime juice in homemade mayonnaise, too, preferring it to lemon, or vinegar by itself.

Kewpie is good, too--the surprising bottle experience alone I think is worth the price of admission.

Added: Noticed it's made in Canada; eliminated a misspelling.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Seconding Jin and Bux, I will add that I have recently found a 100% idiot-proof way to make mayonnaise: I use a "French working jar", one of those ubiquitous squat jelly jars (the kind with orange or red or green or blue plastic snap on lids) and a flat bottom wisk. The wisk in motion seems to just

fit in the jelly jar, and the mayonnaise takes shape or body within a few seconds. I should add that I am categorically against any process that causes me to wash a machine when not absolutely necessary.

[Akiko]

I am fine tuning my mother's day brunch for my mum in law... she doesn't like spicy and no mushrooms or exotic ingredients

We are starting the meal with nobu's recipe for "scallops gratin" he does a scallop on its shell with enoki (can't use because of the "no mushroom" rule), spicy mayonnaise, broiled and then nori and ikura sprinkled on top (the ikura, I'm still debating, she may find that too exotic).

My main problem is the spicy mayo... she definitely will not tolerate the spicy mayo. I tried to do this with a citrus... lemon peel and yuzu grated in... but it didn't pack much flavor (why doesn't lemon curdle mayonnaise? Does anyone have a suggestion?

[nervousnelli]

I'm not familiar with the recipe but you might want to try mixing mayo with a bit of lemon juice and some bottled horseradish (which is less spicy than fresh). This concoction packs a pleasant punch without being overly firey and you can tone it down or up as you wish.

[SobaAddict70]

Caviar is exotic?!?!

How about a soup of some sort?

Vichysoisse comes to mind. Or a buttermilk peach soup. (I adore soups.)

Can't help you with the flavored mayonnaise though...

Soba

[guajolote]

That scallop dish is great. I think the mayo on seafood is a Peruvian thing. Try adding finely minced garlic (if that's not too spicy) or shallot, along with some herbs- parsley, thyme, orgeno. A little dijon would be good too.

Lemon doesn't curdle mayo because mayo is mostly oil, at least 90%. There is no dairy in it.

[Lyle]

Akiko, coulden't you set aside a portion of the mayo for your in-law and spice the rest of it?

As for the lemon, I thought one should always add lemon (or vinegar) to mayo. Am I wrong?

[sammy]

Mix mayo with some pureed roasted red pepper (puree roasted red pepper with some olive oil). Makes the mayo a pretty color as well.

[Moondog]

Aioli-style is always good. Does she like garlic?