Basic Mayonnaise

Makes 1½ cups

Prep:   10 minutes Total:   10 minutes

• 1¼ cups light olive oil
• 1 large egg (see Tip below)
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Juice of ½ lemon

Place ¼ cup of the olive oil, the egg, mustard, and salt in a blender, food processor, or mixing bowl. Blend, process, or mix thoroughly. While the food processor or blender is running (or while mixing in a bowl with an immersion blender), slowly drizzle in the remaining 1 cup olive oil until the mayonnaise has emulsified. Add the lemon juice and blend on low or stir to incorporate.

TIP The key to this emulsion is making sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. Leave your egg out on the counter for an hour, or let it sit in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes before mixing. Keep one lemon on the counter at all times for the express purpose of making mayo—trust us, you’ll be making a lot of this. The slower you add the oil, the thicker and creamer the emulsion will be. You can slowly pour the oil by hand out of a spouted measuring cup, or use a plastic squeeze bottle to slowly drizzle it into the bowl, food processor, or blender. If you’re using an immersion blender, pump the stick up and down a few times toward the end to whip some air into the mixture, making it even fluffier.

Egg-Free Mayonnaise

Makes 1¼ cups

Prep:   10 minutes Total:   10 minutes

• ½ cup coconut butter, slightly warmed
• ½ cup warm water
• ¼ cup light olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional; see Tip)
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend on high until the mixture thickens, 1 to 2 minutes.

TIP If you plan on using this egg-free mayo as a base for dressings and sauces, skip the lemon juice. You then have a neutral flavor base to which you can add any kind of acid (like a citrus juice or vinegar) based on the dressing or sauce you select.