Special Sauce!

The world of condiments is a powerful one. Would America have even half it's obsession with french fries without the ketchup? A1 sauce has completely penetrated steak culture with such force, to have a steak served without it would reflect quite poorly on an otherwise competent waitress.

Last night I realized this phenomenon. We were out of mayonnaise. With gorgeous, grass fed burgers from Gaining Ground Farm sizzling on the grill, I experienced a moment of panic. Think Rachel, think!

My friend Peyton is a fine southern woman, and usually makes homemade mayonnaise for those in her close circle. It is so good however, it tends to disappear swiftly. Long gone. Naturally, I did the next best thing I could think of, and took a cue from Peyton. With a few eggs waiting for me out in the chicken coop, I figured I could whip some up.

Here it is, the lifesaving special sauce we have all, at some point, taken for granted:

Mayonnaise: (Adapted from the Silver Palate)

*1 egg

*2 egg yolks

*pinch sea salt

*1 1/2 tsp dijion mustard

*generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice

*black pepper to taste

*1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

Blend egg and egg yolks in a food processor for about 1 minute to thicken. Add the mustard, salt, lemon and pepper. With blade running, slowly start adding the oil until liquid is lofty and whipped to the correct consistency of your choosing. Adjust seasonings as you see fit.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape mayo into a clean glass jar with a lid, and store in the fridge. Will keep up to 6 days.

If you are curious about the good cholesterol and other healthy components in free range eggs, read this excerpt from a recent article published by the Weston A. Price foundation:

"Besides providing all eight essential protein building amino acids, a large whole, fresh egg offers about six to seven grams of protein and five grams of fat (with about 1.5 grams of it saturated), which comes in handy to help in the absorption of all the egg’s fat-soluble vitamins. One egg also serves up around 200 milligrams of brain-loving cholesterol and contains the valuable vitamins A, K, E, D, B-complex and minerals iron, phosphorus, potassium and calcium.¹⁰

Choline, another egg-nutrient, is a fatty substance found in every living cell and is a major component of our brain. Additionally, choline helps break up cholesterol deposits by preventing fat and cholesterol from sticking to the arteries.^10,14 So the bottom line is, don’t be chicken about eating eggs, especially the cholesterol-rich yolks!"

"Compared to eggs from conventionally raised, caged hens, eggs produced by free-roaming and pasture-pecking chickens have more omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E and vitamin A,¹² along with notably higher amounts of folic acid and vitamin B₁₂."