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Duke-ish Mayonnaise

Photo by Lynne Calamia
ACTIVE TIME: 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 15 minutes

Software

  • 1 yolk from a large egg (see note!)
  • 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar, 5% acidity
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 9 ounces refined soybean oil

Specialized Hardware

  • Immersion blender

Procedure

  • Use the yolk from an intact shell that has been heat-treated in a 135 F/57.2 C circulating-water bath for a full 75 minutes after the bath has recovered to 135 F, then thoroughly chilled. Separate the yolk.
  • In a narrow straight sided vessel, combine the yolk, distilled vinegar, apple cider vinegar, water, salt, and sweet paprika. Pour all the soybean oil over the aqueous mixture. Let the layers settle for 5 minutes so the water-rich phase remains beneath the oil.
  • Set the immersion blender head flat on the bottom of the vessel. Blend at high speed without lifting until a thick, pale emulsion is established around the head.
  • Raise the blender slowly through the remaining oil until fully incorporated. Stop as soon as the mayonnaise is smooth and uniform.
  • Seal tightly with a lid and refrigerate promptly.
NOTE: If you're at all concerned about ingesting or serving raw egg products, we suggest you find and use actual pasteurized shell eggs or pasteurized yolks, as they are the safest way to go.
That said, although it cannot 100% guarantee safety from nasties like salmonella, home heat treatment can massively reduce risk of exposure, if it's done correctly. To pull this off you'll need a good quality immersion circulator or what is commonly known as a "sous vide" water bath device. Attach to a vessel that holds at least a gallon and a half of water and set to 135 degrees Fahrenheit and when it's attained that temperature place six eggs (direct from the refrigerator) into the bath and set a timer for 75 minutes. I always connect a remote digital thermometer to the vessel to independently monitor the water temperature just in case the circulator's circuitry is off. (Mine has an alarm which I set for 134.)
After 75 minutes, remove the eggs to an ice bath for ten minutes then refrigerate, not in the original carton as it could be contaminated. Use the eggs within three days. Again, no guarantee but it will reduce any salmonella populations inside the egg by several million-fold.
This is a home heat-treatment step intended to reduce the risk while preserving yolk functionality; it is not a claim of commercial pasteurization.