Mayonnaise

We want to talk about mayonnaise – what it is, how it works and how to make it from scratch.

You will need:
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
300ml rapeseed oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Makes 300ml

You can experiment with the oil – 1/2 and 1/2 of olive and rapeseed, vegetable or a flavoured oil
If you want a thicker mayonnaise, use only the egg yolks

One of our most important tips for making mayonnaise is to nestle your mixing bowl in a coiled towel, to stop it sliding around as you whisk
Get the egg yolks into the bowl
Add a pinch of salt and the lemon juice, then start whisking – fast
We suggest keeping the half lemon to hand, in case you want to add a little more juice as you go
To create a stable emulsion, the oil must be added gradually, and immediately broken up and distributed by whisking
Just keep a thin and steady stream running over the lip of the jug, and don’t stop whisking until all the oil has been added
Taste and keep in the fridge

What to do if the mayonnaise splits:
Simply get a fresh bowl with just one egg yolk inside, and start whisking it. Then slowly pour your half-made mayonnaise into this new bowl, in the same way you were pouring the oil originally.You may need a little extra to compensate for the extra yolk.

A quick note on food safety:
Always make sure the eggs you’re using have the Lion Quality Mark from the British Egg Industry Council. Alternatively, there are some interesting things happening with pasteurised eggs, but it may be difficult to get hold of yolks in isolation. The general guideline is to keep fresh mayo for no more than 24 hours.

Chipotle mayonnaise with corn:
Just cut corn cobs into sections and place on a foiled baking tray
Then drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt, wrap them up and bake in a preheated oven (or barbecue) at two hundred degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until they are soft and starting to char along the sides
To make the chipotle mayonnaise, just combine 2 tablespoons of chipotle paste and as much chilli powder as you can handle, with roughly 150ml of fresh mayonnaise
Either serve alongside the hot sweetcorn, or drizzle generously over the plate with some feta
We also added a bit popcorn for contrast
We sprinkled a few toasted cumin seeds on top for a final flourish