I know a few people (mostly European) who insist that the mayonnaise that we find on our grocery store shelves is an impostor. A disgusting twist on a lovely, delicate, creamy concoction that highlights any dish with which it is served.
Knowing that my favorite mayo was made using (GMO containing) soybean oil, I decided I would follow my European brethren and make my own. I succeeded after a try or two but I have a confession to make. I loathe raw egg yolks. It’s not my fault, it’s my cousin’s. I’m sure it was she who insisted that the homemade facial masks using raw egg yolks was a good idea. Thirty years later neither of us can stand the smell of raw egg yolk and we both blame each other!
My homemade mayonnaise was light, gorgeous and the perfect consistency, however, I just could not get it down the ‘ol gullet, it was the raw egg yolks. Yes, I am a great disappointment to my European and Weston A. Price friends. Luckily, I have found a solution!
Enter Coconut Milk Mayonnaise
Coconut Milk Mayonnaise is made by *emulsifying oil, milk, garlic and a few drops of lemon juice together. No eggs! It’s creamy, velvety and is the perfect springboard to let your culinary imagination run wild! Did I mention there are no RAW eggs?
What if you’re like many Americans and milk is not your friend right now? Never fear, coconut milk works just as well, **if not better, in this recipe!
Coconut Milk Mayonnaise
1/3 cup very cold unsweetened coconut milk (not canned) or whole milk
3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, peeled
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
About 3/4 cup walnut, macadamia nut, or avocado oil (any oil works, I just prefer the mild taste of these)
sea salt to taste
Combine the milk, lemon juice, garlic and pepper in either the container that came with your immersion blender or a pint sized mason jar. Alternately you can user a small food processor container (this will NOT work in a regular sized food processor container as it is too large). Blend on high until mixture is frothy.
STEP 1:
If using an Immersion Blender: Add 1/4 cup of the oil of your choice and blend in one minute intervals until the ingredients seem to have emulsified (the oil is no longer separate from the other ingredients). Add another 1/4 cup of oil, and repeat until the mixture is the consistency that you prefer. Feel free to add more oil if the consistency is too runny.
If using a food processor: With the motor running on high, slowly drip the oil into the container, a few drops at a time. This should take a good 10 minutes. If the oil goes in too quickly it will not emulsify and your mayo will NOT turn out to be the proper consistency. BE PATIENT!
Step 2
When the mayonnaise is the consistency that you would like, add the salt to taste. Refrigeration will allow the mayo to set up a bit although you can use it right away. Generally this lasts in the fridge for at least 5 days. If you add a teaspoon of whey or a probiotic capsule to the mixture at the end, it will keep for weeks in the fridge.
Important Tips:
Immersion blenders are not meant to be used for 10 minutes consecutively. Do not run your immersion blender for longer than a minute or you will risk burning out the motor. I usually stop for a few minutes here and there to let my immersion blender cool down a bit. Taking breaks doesn’t hurt the final product.
You may need more or less oil. I often only use a half cup of oil as I’m generally happy with the consistency at that point.
Coconut milk does not affect the taste of the final product. Just make sure to use plain and not a vanilla flavored coconut milk.
Variations
As I said before this is the basic recipe. Feel free to use your imagination. I blended in jalapeno peppers and cilantro at the very end for a mayonnaise that took my husbands Roast Beef and Havarti Panini, aptly named The Beefy Mexican to a whole new level! A similar combination made with avocado and cilantro made for an amazing dressing for my simple salad (link to Creamy Cilantro Avocado Dressing video) that absolutely rocked my world (I’m salivating just thinking about it!).
For more variations go to the original blog post The Secrets and Science Behind Milk Mayonnaise. It’s a very interesting post and you’ll learn more about why the various ingredients come together to make this awesome concoction!
Put that GMO soybean oil laden mayo back on the shelf and get to work making your own dips, dressings, and sandwich spread tonight!
To Your Health!
Alison
*The term emulsify basically means to break down the liquid molecules (in this case milk) into smaller and smaller droplets until it loosens up and allows the oil to bind to it and thicken.
**I found that the coconut milk mayonnaise lasted longer and stood up better in the fridge when compared to the milk mayonnaise (which tended to separate more quickly than the coconut milk). This is quite possibly because of the carrageenan which is added to almost all boxed coconut milk products.
Adapted from David Leite’s book, The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe’s Western Coast
