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By Root 925 0

be made with olive oil. A light-flavoured oil – mayonnaise emphasizes the fruity flavour – but an oil tasting of olives. When strong flavourings such as curry powder are to be added, corn or groundnut oils may be substituted. Never spoil mayonnaise with malt vinegar. Red and white wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar or, most usually, lemon juice are the sharpeners to use.

Mayonnaise is a sauce that rarely fails if you take reasonable precautions beforehand – the ingredients should be at least at room temperature.

1 large or 2 standard egg yolks

wine vinegar or lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)

150 ml (5 fl oz) light olive oil

salt, pepper, herbs, etc.

HAND OR ELECTRIC BEATER METHOD Warm the bowl and spoon or beater with hot water, then dry. Quickly put in the egg yolk with a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice, and mustard if appropriate to the dish. Beat thoroughly together, then add the oil, drop by drop at first, then more steadily as the mixture thickens. When the oil is absorbed, add vinegar or lemon juice to taste, seasonings and herbs.

BLENDER METHOD Use two yolks or one whole large egg. Put the egg into a warmed blender with the vinegar or lemon juice and mustard. Turn to top speed, having covered the blender. After 10 seconds, remove the central cover of the lid and gradually pour in the oil and seasonings. On account of the very high speed, you can put in the oil more rapidly from the start, though it is prudent to go gently at first.

REMEDIES FOR CURDLED MAYONNAISE

(1) The moment you suspect curdling, whisk in a tablespoon of boiling water. This is often enough to bring the sauce back.

(2) Put another egg yolk into a clean bowl and add the curdled mixture drop by drop at first, then the remainder of the oil, plus extra to bring the quantity up to 250 ml (8 fl oz).

(3) Put a tablespoon of Dijon mustard into a clean, warmed bowl, instead of another egg yolk, then continue with method 2. This is handy to know if you are out of eggs, and the dish will stand the extra mustard flavour.

AILLOLI AND AILLADE Ailloli, the garlic mayonnaise from Provence, gives its name to the great spread of cold food for which that part of France is so famous. Salt cod and other fish provide the centrepiece (see p. 100). The sauce can quite well accompany the salt fish in simpler combinations or even alone; though I think a modifying salad of some kind is a good idea.

up to 8 cloves garlic

salt

2 egg yolks

300 ml (10 fl oz) Provençal olive oil

pepper

lemon juice

Crush the garlic with a little salt in a mortar, or blender. (The first time you make the recipe start with 4 cloves of garlic; when everyone has got used to the idea, work up gradually to 8.) Add the egg yolks and finish the mayonnaise with the rest of the ingredients.

The unexpected ingredients of aillade, another garlic mayonnaise, are hazelnuts and walnuts. To me, this is the ideal sauce for a simpler arrangement of cold fish:

8 large shelled hazelnuts

8 shelled walnuts

3–6 cloves garlic

salt

2 egg yolks

300 ml (10 fl oz) Provençal olive oil

pepper

lemon juice

Grill the hazelnuts lightly, until the skins can easily be rubbed off; pour boiling water over the walnuts, and remove their skins. Crush the nuts with the garlic and a little salt in a mortar or blender, and continue with the mayonnaise in the usual way.

AVOCADO SAUCE Avocado makes a good sauce for salmon and salmon trout in particular, though it also goes well with crab and lobster.

2 ripe avocados

juice of 1 small lemon

1 large garlic clove, crushed

300 ml (10 fl oz) soured cream

salt, pepper

2 spring onions, chopped (see recipe)

Peel, stone and mash the avocados with the lemon juice and garlic. Mix in the cream gradually. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Finally mix in the onion, if the sauce is to be served with cold fish. If the sauce is for hot fish, omit the onion and warm the basin over a pan of simmering water until the sauce is reasonably hot, but nowhere near