Assorted Mayonnaises

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   Combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard, and salt in a food processor or blender.

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   Turn the machine on and start by adding the oil very slowly, in a thin stream, and then gradually increasing the amount you add.

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   When youve added all the pure oil and the mayonnaise starts to thicken, transfer the mayonnaise to a bowl and gently work in the extra virgin olive oil using a wooden spoon.

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   As the mayonnaise gets very thick, add water as needed.

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   Add more salt if needed.

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   VARIATIONS:

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   RED BELL PEPPER MAYONNAISE

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   4 red bell peppers, charred, peeled, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine

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   1 cup Basic Mayonnaise

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    Salt and pepper to taste

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    Combine the peppers with the Basic Mayonnaise and season to taste with salt and pepper.

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    MUSHROOM MAYONNAISE

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    1 pound mushrooms of any variety

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    1 cup Basic Mayonnaise

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    Salt and pepper to taste

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    Clean the mushrooms and chop by hand or in a food processor until fairly fine.

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    Be careful if youre using a food processor to avoid making a puree; about 10 short pulses should do it.

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    Put the mushrooms in a small pot over medium heat.

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    When theyve released their water, after 1 to 2 minutes, turn the heat up to high and boil, stirring now and then, until the mixture is dry, about 10 minutes.

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    Let cool and fold into the Basic Mayonnaise.

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    Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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    MOREL MAYONNAISE

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    Regular mushroom mayonnaise is great but dried morels give this mayonnaise a distinctive smoky flavor.

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    1 ounce dried morels, soaked in 1/2 cup water for 30 minutes and moved around every 5 minutes

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    1 cup Basic Mayonnaise

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    salt and pepper to taste

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    Drain the morels into a bowl, squeezing any additional liquid out of them; note that you can save the liquid for sauces, but dont add it to the mayonnaise unless you want it to be thin.

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    Chop the morels fine by hand or in a food processoravoid over processing and turning them into a pasteand stir them into the Basic Mayonnaise.

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    Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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    CAPER AND HERB MAYONNAISE

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    1 cup Basic Mayonnaise

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    1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

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    4 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped coarse leaves from 15 sprigs fresh tarragon, chopped

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    1 small bunch parsley, large stems removed, leaves and small stems chopped

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    salt and pepper to taste

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    Combine the Basic Mayonnaise with the other ingredients.

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    Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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    HAZELNUT MAYONNAISE

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    This mayonnaise catches people by surprise because its redolent of hazelnuts but there are no hazelnuts in it.

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    Only a small amount of hazelnut oil is worked into a basic mayonnaise.

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    Its important to use a hazelnut oil thats been made with roasted nutsit will have much more flavor and be far less perishable.

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    As of now there is only one producerLe Blancwho makes his oil this way.

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    Its expensive, too, so unless you use a lot of it, buy the smallest amount possible and keep it in the freezer.

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    1/4 cup hazelnut oil made from roasted nuts (Le Blanc is a good brand)

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    1 cup Basic Mayonnaise

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    salt and pepper to taste

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    Mix the oil, a few teaspoons at a time, into the Basic Mayonnaise.

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    Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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    CURRY MAYONNAISE

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    1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or more as needed)

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    1 tablespoon curry powder (or more as needed)

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    2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped fine (optional)

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    1 cup Basic Mayonnaise

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    Heat the oil and curry powder in a small pan over medium heat while stirring until you smell the curry, about 1 minute.

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    Stir this mixture into the Basic Mayonnaise.

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    Taste to judge if the amount of curry is enough; if not, heat some more and add it to the mayonnaise.

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    If the mayonnaise starts to get too thick (which can cause it to break) thin it with a teaspoon or two of water.

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    Stir in the cilantro.

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    SAFRRON AIOLI

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    4 egg yolks

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    4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

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    1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed

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    1 teaspoon saffron threads soaked in

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    3 tablespoons water for 30 minutes

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    3 medium cloves garlic, chopped and crushed with the side of a chefs knife

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    1 cup pure olive oil or vegetable oil

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    1 cup extra virgin olive oil

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    In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, and teaspoon of salt.

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    Add the saffron with its soaking liquid and beat in the garlic and pure olive oil with a whisk.

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    (Alternatively, you can use a food processor.)

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    Start by adding the oil very slowly and then gradually increase the amount you add at one time.

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    When youve added all the pure oil, and the mayonnaise starts to thicken, transfer the mayonnaise to a mixing bowl (if you were using a food processor) and gently work in the extra virgin olive oil using a wooden spoon.

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    Add more salt if needed.

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    TIPS FOR MAKING AIOLI:

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    Aioli is garlic mayonnaise traditionally made with a mortar and pestle, but most versions now are made in a blender, food processor, or by hand with a whisk.

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    The problem with any method but the mortar and pestle is that the hard beating action turns the extra virgin olive oil bitter.

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    One solution is to work the oil very gently into the egg yolks with a wooden spoon, but this is tedious since the oil has to be added very slowly.

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    Another solution is to make a mayonnaise with pure olive oilwhich is essentially flavorless and doesnt turn bitter when beatenusing a hand whisk.

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    Once the mayonnaise has established itself, and you can add the oil more quickly, switch to a wooden spoon to gently work in the extra virgin olive oil.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.