Question about a sauce I made....

[kitchenelf]

OK, I thought what I made would be more like a homemade mayo but it would never thicken - tell me what I did wrong.

1 egg yolk
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
fresh tarragon
salt
white pepper
smoked paprika

I mixed everything in the food processor. I very slowly drizzled in the olive oil through the tube with the little hole in it. I let it blend for quite awhile and realized it was NOT going to get thick.

This was for a lobster salad - lobster, fresh tarragon, capers, spring onion, finely minced celery. I was then going to mix a little of this "mayo" with everything. The sauce I did make was very thin, separated, but it was still really yummy! I mixed everything together and let it set in the fridge for a couple hours. Served on thin, crisply slices of Italian Boule.

Why didn't those ingredients make mayonnaise? Not enough egg yolks? Thanks for any help and suggestions.

 

[Gretchen]

It "broke". You may not have had enough egg yolk--I'll leave it to the real experts to say. But the egg yolk has to incorporate the oil you add. I'm not sure it can be done adequately in a FP either. I'd think a blender--or a stick blender. Maybe too much surface area.

 

[kitchenelf]

Thanks Gretchen. I probably should have just used a whisk. I'll give it another try.

 

[amber]

Michael will know I think, but my guess is that lemon is the culprit.

Maybe not enough egg vs. lemon juice?

 

[scott123]

Those proportions of ingredients will work fine.

Emulsions can be very tricky. It helps to understand the science behind them.

Good Eat's Mayo Clinic

 

[kitchenelf]

Thanks for the help. I can see where I should have whisked the egg yolk first. Live and learn as they say! I will be trying it again.

 

[ironchef]

KElf, I'm pretty sure it was because you used the food processor. While it can emuslify things like a vinaigrette, it's more of a "cutter" than it is a blender and it won't work with all emulsification type sauces. If you used a blender you won't have to whisk the yolk in advance.

 

[cjs]

I've made mayonnaise for years in my food processor and never had it break and it always emulsifies. I make a quart at a time - 3 yolks to 24 oz. oil. You added your oil slowly, so I don't see what might have happened.

 

[ironchef]

Oops, I misread the recipe and cjs' post made me remember. KElf, you didn't add enough oil. The ratio is 1 egg or egg yolk to 1 cup of oil. Always 1 to 1. Forget what I said in my other post, just remember 1 to 1 for the oil and egg.

 

[cjs]

oops (nbr. 2) I missed that also!

 

[ChefJune]

I've made mayonnaise for years in my food processor and never had it break and it always emulsifies. I make a quart at a time - 3 yolks to 24 oz. oil. You added your oil slowly, so I don't see what might have happened.

you beat me to it, Jean! I was about to say the same thing.

The only time I've ever had a mayo break was when I used eggs that were too cold, or when I tried a different recipe. (so I don't do either any more!)

 

[kitchenelf]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I knew you guys would come to the rescue. I can't wait to try this again. It was really delicious with the lobster meat anyway though Now it will be even better!!!

Thanks again guys!

 

[urmaniac13]

I just found this thread and looks like you already got proper advices to make your sauce better... Just one more reminder, though I am quite sure you know that already, with a sauce like this make sure your egg is super fresh, preferably within one day of its production... fresher the better!!

 

[Michael in FtW]

While the small amount of oil "might" have been a problem (although I don't know why) ... the biggest problem that causes an emulsion to break is generally adding more oil than the egg can hold in suspension (emulsify) ... the original recipe should have worked ... except you used the wrong tool, especially for the small quantity. A "Food Processsor" is good for cutting, chopping, grating, etc. - but not designed for a small amount of mayo - the blades don't come into contact with the ingredients enough - and it's not designed to create enough of a vortex to properly mix the ingredients.

While you might be able to do this with success in a FP, as cjs says - compare the difference in quantity ... big difference in how 3/4 cup and 1 quart will be handled by a FP.

A "blender" has a different configuration, runs at a higher RMP - it would have done the job. You could have also placed all of the ingredients into a 1-pint Mason Jar all at once and then used a "stick blender" (even higher RPM than an average blender) - it would have worked - and taken about a minute or so at most.

 

[kitchenelf]

Thank you all again - I have learned a valuable lesson in mayo making!!!!!

 

[Michael in FtW]

I think the Elfen Goddess of the Kitchen knows me well enough by now to know that I will ask a question like this .... while wearing my pasta strainer on my head for minimal protection from her "big wooden spoon" blows ....

What did the recipe say to do KE?

You've got me curious .....

 

[ironchef]

While the small amount of oil "might" have been a problem (although I don't know why) ... the biggest problem that causes an emulsion to break is generally adding more oil than the egg can hold in suspension (emulsify) ...

Mike, while too much oil can saturate the yolk and cause the sauce to break, too little oil will cause an unbalance in the lecithin/fat ratio needed to emulsify the egg and the oil. You need a minimum of 6 oz. of oil per egg yolk to properly emusify any sauce of this nature, be it mayo or hollandaise. 7 to 8 oz. will give you a thicker, richer mayo and may potentially be subject to breakage, but more so if you're trying to do it by hand because it's harder to disperse the oil quickly with the egg. It should be fine as long as you're using a mechanical device of some sort and you're adding the oil in slowly.

 

[kitchenelf]

What did the recipe say to do KE?

1 cup of oil, 2 egg yolks, 2 TBS lemon juice, I added some fresh tarragon - but I reduced the recipe by half, which in turn made everything impossible to break down properly while in my big food processor.

ROFLMAO - they forgot to take back my admin/mod uniform - this is the one you are referring to??????? Yes, you better be wearing it!!!!

Sorry, I missed the class on reducing the size of a picture!!!!!