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By Root 395 0

(250 milliliters) of oil. The key is to begin very slowly. This kind of emulsion is created by breaking up the oil into minuscule droplets that remain separated by water via an emulsifier called lecithin (found in egg yolks). Some believe that a stable emulsion is easier to achieve when both eggs and oil are at room temperature. If the droplets touch and recombine, the emulsion falls apart, or breaks, and you’ve got soup. If your rich stiff emulsion suddenly liquefies before your eyes, you’ll need to begin with a fresh yolk and fresh oil. Once you’ve got a stable emulsion going, you can add your broken one as if it were oil, in a thin, slow stream.

The critical time is the first addition of oil, when the oil should be added a few drops at a time. Once the emulsion has been established, the oil can be added in a thin stream, still whisking or processing continuously, till all the oil is incorporated and emulsified.

Properly seasoned mayonnaise is one of the great all-purpose sauces and one of the most versatile as well.

1 large egg yolk, preferably organic

1⁄2 teaspoon/4 grams kosher salt

Pinch of white pepper

1 teaspoon/5 milliliters water

1 to 2 teaspoons/5 to 10 milliliters fresh lemon juice, to taste

1 cup/250 milliliters vegetable oil

1. Combine the yolk, salt, pepper, water, and a few drops of the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Fold a dishtowel into a ring on the counter and set the bowl in this ring to keep it steady, and whisk the ingredients together.

2. It helps to measure out your oil into a cup that pours well in a wire-thin stream; alternatively, you can start your emulsion by drizzling the oil off a spoon, then slowly pouring in the rest of the oil after the emulsion has begun. Add the oil slowly while whisking vigorously: start by adding just a few drops of oil as you whisk; when the emulsion becomes creamy, increase the speed with which you add the oil to a thin stream. Once the emulsion was started, the mixture should be thick enough to hold its shape and look luxuriously creamy. When all the oil is incorporated, add additional lemon juice to taste. If the mayonnaise is too thick, thin it by whisking in a little water.

Yield: About 1 cup/250 milliliters

AÏOLI

This mayo variant is a staple in Provence and other southern European regions—flavorful olive oil replaces the neutral oil of the mayonnaise and garlic is added. Aïoli goes with practically anything, and variations are, as with mayonnaise, limited only by your imagination. Minced or pureed herbs are an easy and colorful addition. Add pureed roasted red pepper to make rouille, a traditional Mediterranean accompaniment to fish stews. Whisking in a half-teaspoon of hot water infused with saffron turns this into an extraordinary sauce for fish (whether whole or in a terrine or sausage). Aïoli goes beautifully with potatoes, crudités, and toasted baguette slices, and it can be used, as rouille is, to enrich stews and soups.

1 large egg yolk, preferably organic

11⁄2 teaspoons/8 milliliters water

1⁄2 teaspoon/2.5 milliliters white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon/7 grams kosher salt, or to taste

11⁄2 tablespoons/22.5 milliliters fresh lemon juice, or to taste

1 teaspoon/6 grams garlic minced and smashed to a paste

1 cup/250 milliliters extra virgin olive oil

1. Combine the egg yolk, water, vinegar, salt, a few drops of lemon juice, and garlic in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

2. Whisking continuously, drizzle in the oil, drop by drop at first, then in a very thin stream, until oil is incorporated. Taste and adjust the seasoning with lemon juice and/or salt as necessary. Thin the aïoli with a few drops of water if it’s too thick.

Yield: About 1 cup/250 milliliters

RÉMOULADE

A classic French sauce all too rarely used other than with grated celery root in the traditional céleri rémoulade, perhaps because of its bastardization in the form of tartar sauce, as in fish sticks with tartar sauce. But it remains an excellent sauce, similar to Sauce Gribiche (page 280), mayo-based with lots of chopped tart or salty