Michel Roux Jr’s mayonnaise

Portion size: Makes 300ml
Hands-on time 20 minutes
Difficulty: easy

Vegetarian

Recipe by: Michel Roux Jr

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Make mayonnaise like a pro with this recipe from culinary legend Michel Roux Jr, who oversees the food at five-star hotel The Langham, London and headed up much-garlanded restaurant Le Gavroche for over 30 years. Here he shares the perfect sauce and gives tips on how to get the perfect flavour.

“Mayonnaise is a great base for other flavours. To make aioli, add crushed fresh garlic (make sure it’s the young stuff – old garlic, particularly the central part that sprouts green, is a surefire way to get garlic breath!). A pinch of saffron soaked in a splash of hot water – will add a beautiful colour and flavour to mayonnaise or aioli. For a proper sauce for prawn cocktail, add some tomato ketchup to mayonnaise. Bear in mind that it can bind and thicken, too – stir plain mayonnaise through crabcake mix to hold the cakes together, or into a fish soup or stew just before serving to thicken it (instead of adding cream).”

Scroll down to the Tips for Michel’s serving suggestion platter, as seen in the picture. Want to learn more from Michel Roux Jr? The chef also oversees cookery school Sauce by The Langham in London, where he hosts exclusive masterclasses.

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Ingredients

2 medium free-range egg yolks
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
½ tbsp white wine vinegar
250ml vegetable oil
50ml extra-virgin olive oil

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Method

Put the yolks, mustard, salt, and vinegar in a round-bottomed bowl and mix with a balloon whisk until smooth. I like to put the salt in one place and pour the vinegar over it to help it dissolve before whisking.
Slowly pour in the vegetable oil, in a thin, steady stream, whisking continuously until creamy (about 5 minutes), then whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil

Quick wins & tips

And here’s how to use it…

Spring vegetable and seafood platter with garlic mayonnaise Mayonnaise, as above 2-3 young garlic cloves, finely chopped About 750g mixed raw vegetables such as peas, asparagus, fennel, radishes and cooked artichokes About 750g cooked seafoods such as prawns, lobster, whelks, winkles and mussels

Mix the mayonnaise and garlic in a small bowl and put in the middle of a large platter or board. Slice the vegetables into manageable pieces and arrange around the platter with the seafood. Serve with crusty bread and chilled wine.

Cook smarter

Use mostly neutral-flavoured oil for your mayonnaise or it will taste overpowering. A simple vegetable or groundnut oil is good. Adding a little extra-virgin olive oil at the end just finished it off giving it a rich, unctuous flavour.