With all due credit to Matt Groening and Homer Simpson, I’ve been wondering the same thing lately about mayonnaise.
It all started when the guy who just finished stripping and re-staining our hardwood floors came into the kitchen with an unusual request. Did I have any mayonnaise? I figured he had a lackluster egg salad sandwich in his lunchbox. But, in fact, he had found a nasty smudge on the new floor and he assured me a plop of mayo would buff the booboo right out of there.
The same week, my husband and I were served a scrumptious piece of Alaskan halibut during dinner at the home of friends. The hostess said she was embarrassed to tell me how simple the recipe was. I figured it was some creative marinade or expensive sous-vide cooking gizmo. Nope. Mayonnaise.
A super-fresh fillet, lightly schmeared with mayo, dusted with freshly grated parmesan, and popped in the oven. Minimal effort, minimal fat…maximum satisfaction.
Next up was Alfred Portale’s Roast Turkey, Avocado, Bacon
and Blue Cheese Sandwich. I was thumbing through this New York City chef’s
cookbook (one of my favorites) looking for a recipe to use the avocados that
our next-door neighbor (who has an avocado ranch north of San Diego) had handed over the fence to me. The sandwich,
on lightly grilled ciabatta bread with thick slab bacon and Maytag blue cheese,
was crowned with homemade aioli. I’d go so far as to call this French version
of mayo – spiked with garlic, cayenne, lemon zest and Champagne vinegar – a
“miracle.”
A duded-up ear of corn was Number Four in the Mayo Marathon. While testing recipes from BBQ guru Steven Raichlen’s newest book (“Planet Barbecue!”), I stumbled upon a page entitled “Grilled Corn Around the World.” According to Raichlen, Mexican corn is traditionally “grilled over charcoal, slathered with mayonnaise, crusted with grated Cotija cheese, and seasoned with fresh lime juice and chile powder.” (Mexican corn photo from Ehow.com.) Mouthwatering as that sounded, I opted for Cambodian Coconut-Grilled Corn to accompany the Pork Tenderloin Grilled with Bacon and Prunes that I was testing. I’ll post a review of “Planet Barbecue!” later this week
Below is Portale’s aioli recipe from “Simple Pleasures” by Alfred Portale and Andrew Friedman.
(By the way, the mayo did seem to gloss over the smudge, but did nothing for a couple of scratches in the new surface.)
AIOLI
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 ½ tablespoons champagne vinegar, plus more if needed
1 teaspoon minced garlic, mashed with ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest
½ cup canola oil
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt
Freshly ground white pepper, to taste
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, vinegar, garlic, cayenne and lemon zest. Whisk in some canola oil, a few drops at a time at first, then gradually in a very thin stream, to form a thick, emulsified mixture. Then whisk in the olive oil in the same way. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
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