homemade mayonnaise, and a recipe to use it in

as you guys know i got all obsessed with making butter a while back. well then liberal foodie told me she made homemade mayonnaise and i knew one day i was going to have to make that. then i also saw this recipe and the photo along with it in saveur and my fate was sealed.

i have been drooling over this photo for months

here is the recipe i used to make mayonnaise (modified from this julia child-inspired recipe):

homemade mayonnaise

Ingredients

• Round-bottomed, 2½ to 3-quart glazed pottery, glass or stainless steel mixing bowl. Set it in a heavy casserole or saucepan to keep it from slipping.
• hand mixer with either whisk or thin beaters attached
• 3 large egg yolks
• Large wire whisk
• 2-3 T. lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon dry or prepared mustard (i used colman's)
• 1 c. olive oil mixed with 1 c. canola oil (room temperature)
• 2 tablespoons boiling water

Directions

• Warm the bowl in hot water; dry it.
• Add the egg yolks and beat for 1 to 2 minutes until they are thick and sticky.
• Add 1 T. of lemon juice and the salt and mustard powder. Beat for 30 seconds more. The egg yolks are now ready to receive the oil.
• start adding the oil a little at a time, you must not stop beating until the sauce has thickened. Add the drops of oil with a teaspoon, or rest the lip of the bottle on the edge of the bowl. Keep your eye on the oil rather than on the sauce.
• Stop pouring and continue beating every 10 seconds or so, to be sure the egg yolks are absorbing the oil.
• After 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oil has been incorporated, the sauce will thicken into a very heavy cream and the crisis of potential curdling is over.
• Then, beat in the remaining oil by 1 to 2 tablespoon dollops, blending it thoroughly after each addition.
• When the sauce becomes too thick and stiff, beat in drops of lemon juice to thin it out. Then continue with the oil. Beat the boiling water into the sauce. This is an anti-curdling insurance. Season to taste.
• If the sauce is not used immediately, scrape it into a small bowl and cover it tightly so a skin will not form on its surface.

like buttah

so this mayonnaise came out delicious. i licked the beaters and the spatula, and i am not really a big mayonnaise person. avani tasted it and wanted to dip fries in it.

i caught you a delicious salmon

so then after i made the mayo i made the vladivostokian (is that a word) baked salmon, pretty much exactly like the saveur recipe:

Keta Zapechenaya pod Mayonezom (baked salmon with mayonnaise)

1 tsp. canola oil
8 2" × 3" skin-on boneless salmon filets (about 2 lbs.)
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. soy sauce
3⁄4 cup mayonnaise

1. Grease an 8" × 8" baking dish with the oil. Rub the salmon filets with 1 tbsp. of the soy sauce, then arrange them snugly in the prepared dish, skin side up. Rub the salmon skin with the remaining soy sauce; cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

chillaxin in the soy sauce

all greased up

2. Heat oven to 425°. Remove baking dish from refrigerator and set aside to let come to room temperature for 15 minutes. Spread the mayonnaise evenly over the salmon, spreading it out to the edges of the baking dish. Bake, rotating once, until skin is golden brown and salmon is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes. Remove the salmon from the oven and set aside to let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

the finished product... i can't believe how yellow my mayonnaise is

i know it may seem weird to make salmon with mayonnaise and soy sauce, but it was damn tasty. the picture from the magazine is what really sold me on this. it looked so brown and juicy and delicious. and it came out exactly that way. it was super easy to make and i got some really nice fresh, red salmon from findlay market. that plus the homemade mayonnaise really made the difference, but i think this would also be good with mayo from the jar.

the meal

avani came over and helped me eat the salmon and she brought roasted asparagus and a squash and chickpea salad with tahini dressing. i also made some brown rice. none of these things seem like they should go together but it worked. of course this is coming from the person who has been known to eat sushi rolls, caesar salad, and skyline dip in the same sitting. anyway we enjoyed our meal so that is what counts.