Laura’s Mayonnaise

Ingredients

• 750 g avocado oil, cold pressed
• 6 large egg yolks, from free range hens, preferably organic
• 15 g Dijon mustard (approx. 2 tsp)
• 1 level tsp fine sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 30 g cider vinegar, preferably raw or unpasteurised
• 60 g whey or coconut water kefir (or 30 g natural/plain live yoghurt and 30 g water) – see 8th tip

Method

1. Place a pouring jug on TM lid and weigh avocado oil into it, then set aside.
2. Place egg yolks, mustard, sea salt, pepper and cider vinegar in TM bowl, then set 5 min/speed 4 and immediately start adding avocado oil very slowly around TM measuring cup so it trickles in gradually – after about 30 seconds you will start to hear the ingredients thicken. Adding the oil should take the whole 5 minutes.
3. Scrape down lid and sides of TM bowl with spatula, then add whey and mix 30 sec/speed 6. Transfer to a sterilised glass jar, close with a sterilised lid, then leave on countertop for 5-7 hours at room temperature to culture and become a probiotic-rich mayonnaise.
4. Transfer to fridge and use within 5 weeks.

Janie’s Tips

1. In my opinion cold pressed avocado oil is well worth it for this recipe, even though it can be expensive, for both its mild flavour and its well known nutritional benefits. In the past I have thrown out batches of mayo made with refined seed oils because I could taste that the refined oils were rancid – this was a waste of my time and food budget, so I encourage you to stick to avocado oil for this recipe. Look online to compare prices and find the best quality available (cold pressed and preferably organic).
2. In the wonderful book Nourishing Traditions, which is one of my favourite recipe books, author Sally Fallon Morrell quotes a study which found that homemade uncultured mayonnaise keeps only 5 days refrigerated and homemade cultured mayonnaise will keep 5 weeks refrigerated.
3. To make 200 g whey, strain 500 g homemade or store bought organic live yoghurt through a nut milk bag or line the internal steaming basket with a double layer of cheesecloth. Place the bag/lined basket over a bowl or measuring jug. The whey is the clear yellow liquid that drains out (stop when you have 200 g whey), and the thickened yoghurt left in the bag or cheesecloth is Greek yoghurt: transfer leftover whey to a sterilised glass jar with a sterilised lid and store in fridge to use in other recipes, and enjoy eating the Greek yoghurt!
4. To make approx. 650 g of Laura’s mayonnaise, use two thirds of all the ingredients and add the oil over the course of 4 minutes in step 2.
5. To make approx. 325 g of Laura’s mayonnaise, use one third of all the ingredients and add the oil over the course of 3 minutes in step 2.
6. Raw eggs may not be advisable for babies, young children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with allergies to egg or with poor immune systems. If you prefer to make a mayonnaise without raw egg, choose an egg free or cooked egg mayo recipe instead of this one.
7. This recipe is gluten free (GF) – please read ingredient labels to ensure all your ingredients are gluten free. It is important to be aware that some mustards contain gluten.
8. For dairy free (DF), use coconut water kefir instead of whey.