Super Mom Makes Homemade Mayo {Video Recipe}

One dark and stormy night, tragedy struck the Hound household. Sweet Lil wanted to make tuna salad but there was no mayonnaise in the house. "Help!", the selective eater cried out, unable to eat plain tuna or the delicious meal her parents cooked.

Super Mom heard her cries and rushed to the rescue!

With forearms of steel and patience for pouring, Super Mom cracked an egg, squeezed a lemon, and began whisking. Streaming oil into her potion, Super Mom transformed the three liquids into a semi-solid sauce: mayonnaise!

A few days later, Super Mom taught Lil how to make homemade mayo herself so she would never be helpless again. Kudos to intern Cami for capturing and editing the moment.

With a little practice, you too can gain the Mayo Master badge of honor and be able to create the delightful emulsion at a moment's notice! You could employ the use of a blender, but every true super hero knows how to make mayonnaise by hand.

Have you made mayo recently? How did it turn out?

PS. Join Super Mom (that's me) on Mother's Day for a class revealing all my secrets for homemade condiments at Franklin Park Conservatory. Space is limited and every participant goes home with a jar of mayo, mustard, or ketchup!

Handmade Mayonnaise Makes: about one cup Time: 5-10 minutes

1 fresh egg yolk (use a pasteurized egg if you're worried about salmonella) 1/2 fresh lemon 1/2 - 1 cup oil (use any lightly flavored oil) 1/2-1 teaspoon salt

1. Pour egg yolk into a clean medium mixing bowl. 2. Juice lemon into bowl and whisk the yolk and juice together. 3. While continuing to whisk, add one teaspoon (or one slight pour) oil and whisk until incorporated. Repeat with several more teaspoons. 4. Slowly begin increasing the amount of oil, whisking continuously. The mixture will begin to change color towards a lighter yellow and develop a stiffer texture. 5. Continue whisking and adding oil until you reach the texture of mayonnaise. Stir in salt. 6. Store in a clean container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Meyer Lemon in the House

We have grown a meyer lemon tree indoors (and outside in summer) for 5 years now.  About twice a year it blossoms with tiny white flowers that have a captivating sweet scent.  Usually at least a couple of the flowers turn into baby lemon buds.  Sometime after, they dry up and fall off.  Just 4 times has a bud ripened into an edible lemon. This past fall, one such lemon deigned to grace us.

Lillian declared herself caretaker of the lemon.  She checked the color constantly and protected the lemon from the dog's tails and other nosy kids. Here's a picture of her caressing her citrus.

We told her the lemon could be picked when the skin was completely yellow.  The time finally came last week.

She plucked the lemon from its stem. She took a picture of Alex and I with the lemon.

I washed it and sliced it open.  There were surprisingly almost no seeds.  This picture doesn't show it, but the flesh was a perfect bright yellow with stark white pulp and lots of juice.

We each tried a slice raw.  It was sweeter than a normal lemon, crisp and clean.  Alex and I juiced the rest later for a simple lemon martini.

The time and attention we put into this tree certainly doesn't pay off in terms of harvest value.  But we love the rare occasions we can eat citrus grown right here in Columbus OH.

(My apologies for unfocused preschooler picture.  Constantly moving objects are not easy to photograph but I am working on it.)