by amanda
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Photo by Sarah Shatz
1/3 cup
very cold whole milk
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3/4 teaspoons
fresh lemon juice
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1
small garlic clove, peeled
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1/8 teaspoon
freshly ground white pepper
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About 3/4 cup vegetable oil, or 1/2 cup vegetable oil plus 1/4 cup olive oil
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Combine the milk, lemon juice, garlic, and pepper in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Using a handheld blender (or a blender), buzz on high for 30 seconds until frothy. With the motor running on high, slowly pour in the oil a few drops at a time, and gradually increase this to a fine thread, moving the blender up and down, until the mixture thickens lusciously and resembles a soft mayonnaise. You may need more or less oil. Season with salt to taste. The mayonnaise will last up to 1 week in the fridge.
Ask the hotline about this step!Didn't know it would work in a food processor. Thanks, Nancy!
Wondering what brand of olive oil those of you who've made this have used. I'm going to try this, but am concerned about the problem of bitterness mentioned here. (I use a good California oil, but it has slightly peppery notes . . . . ) Thanks so much. ;o)
I used my own olive oil which is a "field blend" of about 4 different kinds of olives. I think that it is important to use a California oil because it is fresh and it doesn't have to travel. Heat and light are the oils worst enemies. Also, olive oil does not get better with age. This advice is for Antonia James because I know she lives in CA and there are a lot of local oils for you to try. (coincidentally, a lot of wineries also make olive oil).
I use Frantoia Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Am I the last Food52er to "discover" this recipe! I used all olive oil...fresh...no bitterness. I added tarragon (my favorite herb) and the tarragon mayonnaise turned out perfectly. I can hardly wait to try it with other herbs. It tasted great just plain too. Thanks Amanda!
I've made this many times, but variations (I think it was cilantro that I tried from David Leite's book). Personally, I hate mayonnaise--it's a huge point of contention in the family, as my husband eats mounds of it (homemade only) with almost everything--but the milk "mayo" is something I enjoy, so I'd say that Mr. Leite has brokered a truce in the house, for which I thank him. I've also cooked many other dishes from his NEW PORTUGUESE TABLE book, and everything I've tried has been really fabulous so far. Well written, tasty food, makes a foreign cuisine accessible. Amanda, I'm glad you featured this recipe and his book in this post.
I made this and it tasted slightly bitter. I think that is because (I now recall) olive oil should not go in the blender. I think the recipe would be improved if the vegetable oil were blended in, and then the olive oil whisked in. (I believe there is a cook's illustrated recipe for (regular) mayo that gives those instructions.)
You can also use all vegetable oil, which would emphasize the garlic and citrus more.
Tried it this way, and it doesn't work--I couldn't whisk fast enough to emulsify the olive oil properly and it didn't thicken the way it should've--still served it--chilled it in the freezer to thicken, and it was ok, a lot better than the thicker, bitter, olive oil in blender version. But I'm left thinking it shd. be made with all veg. oil, as Amanda suggests in her reply.
It may be the type of olive oil. I used a different type of olive oil the second time I made this and it was a little bitter whereas the first time there was no hint of bitterness.
I loved how this turned into such a velvety mix. So easy and versatile. I used lime juice since lemons are not easily available in Bombay and it still turned out pretty good. Thanks Amanda.
Thanks for your message -- great to know that it works with other citrus and on other continents!
I'm not a huge mayo fan (shocking, I know) but this recipe intrigued me. I made it last night and since I ate a few spoonfuls right from the bowl (which I would never ever do with "real" mayo), I think it is safe to say that I'm a milk mayo fan! It was really delicious. I mixed some with a little anchovy paste, salted capers, and Piment d'Espelette and served it on top of a piece of seared fish. Divine!
I made this over the weekend and have been eating it on EVERYTHING. Thanks so much, Amanda! (I also blogged it! http://queenietakesmanhattan.blogspot.com/2010/02/milky-way.html)
This is a great recipe--how can any of us not love a recipe whose ingredients are all likely in your fridge or pantry rightthissecond and that (as long as you have a blender or an immersion blender) takes about 45 seconds to prepare? It's the kind of thing you taste right off your finger or the blender beaters and then think of a whole bunch of things you'd like to try it with. After finishing my finger snack, I used it to sauce some leftover chicken, and then as a sort of English salad cream on bibb lettuce. Both were tasty as could be. It could be used on anything you'd use old-fashioned boiled dressing on, and would make a great base for a blue cheese dressing, a matrix for chicken or shrimp salad, or--with a stuffed cup of minced herbs thrown in--a crudite dip.
E.B. -- I hadn't thought of the English salad cream connection. Of course! The texture is so much like that.
I avoided this recipe since the day you posted it...I am not good at making homemade mayonnaise. I couldn't fall asleep last night because I was thinking about it. (This is a true story!) I got up, read through the recipe and promised myself I would make it this morning. I finally got to use my immersion blender that I received as a Christmas gift! The mayonnaise is divine! For brunch I had boiled eggs, a smear of milk mayonnaise and a dash of smoked paprika. And then I went on a five mile run.
How great! And love how you used it -- will try that, too.
I think it helps coagulate the milk solids so they emulsify with the oil. And it doesn't taste sour -- in fact, it's pleasantly tangy.
I have to be the last person to comment on this. I've been thinking about trying this for a year and finally took the plunge. As a 100% olive oil maven, I have banned vegetable oil from my kitchen so it was 100% olive oil or nothing. Also vinegar because the lemons didn't make it home from the shop. And. . . I made it in the food processor, having first tired a stick blender and then an electric hand beater. It is a wonderful sauce, mine a little green because I was using a fresh Spanish olive oil (Castillo de Canenas) and, yes, it was a little bitter, but not unpleasantly so--intriguingly so! Next time I'll try it with some of my own oil from the 2009 harvest. Don't agree with the person who recommended "fresh" oil--this is one of those places where you can comfortably use oil from a previous season, and it will be the better for it.
Sorry to go on at such length, but it's a fine and intriguing recipe. Thanks, David Leite, and thanks, Amanda!