We were in our late 20s. Friends (and their friends) were squeezed into our tiny apartment and, feeling some pride in the from-scratch supper spread, I finished triumphantly: ‘… and homemade mayonnaise’. One of the friends of friends turned to me, ‘Shame,’ she said, lightly touching my arm, ‘couldn’t you find any at the shops?’
And this year, for the first time I can remember, there really isn’t any more of the only store-bought brand we would see fit as a stand-in on SA shelves.
Part of the ritual of the coming long weekend is the inevitable parade of egg-mayonnaise sandwiches that follows ‘egg day’, as Brandon calls it. They’re best made with homemade mayonnaise, which is turned into tartare sauce.
For every two tablespoons of mayonnaise, add one small dill pickle (minced), one teaspoon capers (drained and very finely chopped) and one tablespoon finely chopped parsley and spread generously on freshly baked wheat sourdough.
It’s not the most sensible crust for such a soft filling but the flavour of home-baked sourdough with 25% wholewheat overrides architectural considerations. The value of uniformly thick egg slices, on the other hand, is not negotiable.
The childhood original was a soft and fluffy sandwich cut into triangles, made with pre-sliced white bread, and hard-boiled eggs mashed with a fork into the brand of mayonnaise that’s now disappeared .
If you’re also adjusting to life without it, or even if you’re not, this is an opportunity to master making mayonnaise. To have a go, click on the link below.
For a video of the process and more on the key moments, follow the link.
Mayonnaise
Magic trick moments The most important thing to know is that the oil needs to be added very slowly right from the start for the egg yolk and oil to come together and stay together. When it ‘takes.’ This happens quite early on and you’ll know it’s working when the mixture starts thickening up and becoming glossy. I use a fork to drop in the oil at first, …