DIY mayonnaise.

Last night I was wandering around the grocery store, trying to figure out what to eat. It's too hot to eat, but a girl can't subsist on a diet of beverages and frozen treats (iced coffee and mini ice cream sandwich for breakfast, Yuengling Lager and Otter Pops for dinner...).


So I got the makings of my standard macaroni salad, because it's cheap to make and cold and, with some chicken added, sticks to your bones while still functioning as light summer fare. So I got home and prepped all the ingredients and went to dress it and... I had no mayonnaise.


Enter The Essential New York Times Cook Book.  From 1981, a lighter, creamier mayonnaise. A mayonnaise that's got that certain something. A mayonnaise that doesn't require uncomfortable discussion about spoilage and expiration dates. A mayonnaise that makes exactly enough for dressing a pound of macaroni. This is A mayonnaise that changes lives. It took less than 5 minutes to make in my Kitchen Aid.

Mayonnaise

1 large egg yolk 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or other imported mustard

1 teaspoon cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice

1 cup peanut, vegetable, or olive oil

Place the yolk in a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste, the mustard, and vinegar. Beat vigourously for a second or two with whisk attachment. Start adding the oil gradually, beating continuously with the whisk (I did this on 10). Continue beating and adding the oil until all of it is used.


Makes about 1 cup

Macaroni Salad

1 lb macaroni

3-5 stalks celery, chopped

1-2 bell peppers

salt and pepper 

the homemade mayonnaise you just made

generous quantities of celery salt

poached chicken, shredded and salted