Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise was invented in 1756 by the French chef of the Duc de Richelieu. After the Duc beat the British at Port Mahon, his chef created a victory feast that was to include a sauce made of cream and eggs. Realizing that there was no cream in the kitchen, the chef substituted olive oil for the cream and a new culinary creation was born. The chef named the new sauce “Mahonnaise” in honor of the Duc’s victory.

Even though mayonnaise isn’t a Dutch recipe, the Dutch consider mayo to be an absolute necessity with their fries. If you order a ‘patatje met’, meaning ‘fries with’, everybody knows the ‘with’ is mayo.

Ingredients

1 egg
1 tsp smooth yellow mustard or 1/2 tsp mustard powder
splash of white (wine) vinegar
150 ml neutral oil
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice to taste

Put the egg in a bowl or glass wide enough to fit your hand blender in and add the mustard and vinegar. Whisk everything into a smooth paste. Slowly add the oil tiny bits at a time, whisking continuously. If you add too much oil at a time the mayonnaise will curdle and you’ll have to throw the whole batch away. The more oil you add, the thicker the mayonnaise will be.

Keep a clean jar or bottle at hand, which you fill with boiling water. Let this stand to sterilize the bottle so that the mayonnaise can be kept longer. Pour out the water and let it cool completely. Fill the bottle with mayonnaise and close. Can be kept in the refrigerator for about 3 months.