Page 375 - YC Cooking School

When to season?

Add salt at the same time as the vinegar or lemon juice. The salt takes a while to dissolve
and the vinegar will help it along.

Use time-saving equipment
When you’re entertaining, preparation time counts. This is a good time to toss the whisk in

favour of a handy food processor. You’ll get just about the same results and you’ll have
saved yourself an arm workout too.

Use ingredients at the same temperature
Psst! Franck’s grandmother let him in on the secret to making perfect mayonnaise every

time – and here it is: ensure that all the ingredients are the same temperature. In other
words, you either need to put your mustard and eggs in the pantry or you need to pop your
oil into the fridge.

Get the perfect texture

To achieve perfectly textured mayonnaise, you’ll need to make sure that the mayonnaise
doesn’t split. The trick to getting this right is to add the oil in a thin, constant flow. Pouring it
too quickly will saturate the emulsion and cause it to split. Depending on the freshness of
the eggs and the amount of mustard you use, a mayonnaise can quickly become too stiff. To
solve this problem, add a splash of water to relax it before adding more oil.

Do a taste test
When you’re finished adding all the ingredients, do a taste test and season to your liking.

Storing mayonnaise

A homemade mayonnaise will keep for up to a week in a jar in your fridge. The beauty of
making it yourself is that you can decide exactly the quantity you’d like to make and adjust
the egg yolks and oil accordingly.

Have fun with different flavour variations
Mayonnaise is a brilliant blank canvas for all sorts of colourful flavours. Chop up and add a

few simple ingredients and hey presto – you’ve created a herb, curry or cocktail version. Play
around with flavours and most importantly, have fun!

A few notes on the baba ghanoush

Burning an aubergine and using its pulp is probably the most common trick of any Middle
Eastern cook. This method gives the aubergine a beautifully soft texture and a lovely smoky
flavour. Baba ghanoush is not just any dip; it’s an institution, eaten in many parts of the
world! Delicious with bread, crudités, grilled fish, meat or chicken, you can also enjoy it with
cheese, salad leaves or crushed boiled potatoes. It pairs with just about anything and it can
be a meal in its own right. Yummy.

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