Emulsions: Mayonaisse and Caesar's Salad Dressing

EMULSIONS per WIKIPEDIA:

An emulsion is a mixture of two immiscible (unblendable) substances. One substance (the dispersed phase) is dispersed in the other (the continuous phase). Examples of emulsions include butter and margarine, espresso, mayonnaise, the photo-sensitive side of Photographic film, and cutting fluid for metalworking. In butter and margarine, a continuous lipid phase surrounds droplets of water (water-in-oil emulsion). Emulsification is the process by which emulsions are prepared.

Examples of emulsions are mayonaisse, many salad dressings and sauces used in entrees and on desserts. They are not that hard to make and if you follow a couple basic principles will have good results:

a) ALWAYS use clean and dry utensils to prepare your emulsion
b) have all ingredients at room temperature
c) store your emulsions immediately in the fridge.


[color=red]DO NOT PROCEED with the preparation of these recipes if you're unwilling to follow basic food safety guidelines. Always coddle eggs used in emulisons like mayonaisse or Caesar's Salad Dressing - coddling eggs means immersing them in fully boiling water for at least 35-45 seconds. Also storing in the refrigerator immediately after preparation. NEVER serve a potato salad at a picnic using homemade mayo if the salad will be in the sun or in VERY HOT weather for more than 1 hour. THROW away any item left out in those conditions for more than one hour !! (Now that I have thoroughly scared the hell out of you proceed. But these guidelines are sternly laid down because nothing is more painful or embarrasing than to give yourself or your guests food poisioning !!).

MAYONAISSE:

mis en place


1 Tbls. Dijon mustard
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Herbs De Provance
1 Tsp. Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1 Tsp. Fine Herbs or Tarragon
2 TBLS. White Wine Vinegar

3 coddled eggs
2 cups Corn Oil

Add first group of ingredients to blender, coddle eggs in boiling water for 35-45 seconds, break eggs into blender. Set lid on blender and remove center cover, turn blender to medium high and slowly drizzle in the corn oil, a couple tablespoons at a time, into blender. The trick is never adding the oil TOO FAST. Blend and add oil, all the oil should be in in about 2 minutes. The mixture will start thickening up and take on the familiar appearance of MAYONAISSE !!.

Remove from blender into clean storage jar, I like using big peanut butter jars. Taste for S&P and adjust accordingly. Store immediately in the fridge. Makes a great spread for sandwiches, is excellent served with freshly steamed artichokes, asparagus spears or french fries (yes, this is how many countries serve french fries, with mayo).



steamed artichoke heart served with medium shrimp and herbed mayonaisse




Casear's Salad Dressing:


Caeasar's Salad was originally created by a restauranteer in Mexico, Mr. Caesar Cardini. He made the salad for his airline pilot friends that were good customers. Eventually the salad became well known everywhere as the Caesar Salad.


mis en place

1 Tbls. Dijon Mustard
2 Tsp. crushed garlic
1 Tbls. Lemon Juice
1 Tsp Tobasco Sauce
1 Tsp. Worsteschire Sauce
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1 tin anchovie filets (may be omitted for inferior results)

3 coddled eggs

2 Cups EVO

Place 1st group of ingredients in blender, coddle 3 eggs in rapidly boiling water for 35-45 seconds. Crack coddled eggs into blender. Place cover on blender, remove center cover and start blender on high speed, slowly drizzle EVO into blender - trick is to do it a few tablespoons at a time. Mixture will take on thick consistency once you have added all EVO, about 2 minutes blending time. Remove from blender into clean storage jar and immediately refrigerate.

Same safety warnings apply to Caesar's Dressing as to mayo. Do not leave out in hot sun, throw away any dressing or dressed salad left out for more than 1 hour !!![/COLOR]

Steamed artichoke stuffed with herb seasoned shrimp and mayo - photo taken at my Godfather's place.

Here's Wikipedia's explanation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coddled_egg


" coddling eggs means immersing them in fully boiling water for at least 35-45 seconds"

In this recipe I am asking folks to boil the eggs for 40 seconds, this is to sterilize the outside of the shell AND to pasteurize the inside of the egg without fully cooking it. 40 seconds in boiling water, when you break the shell a small amount of the white should be cooked and stuck to the shell. This way you know you are serving a SAFE dish to your guests...

Bumping this thread for OregonBlues

Im putting this to the top because of a recent interest shown in fresh mayo. It's a rare day I buy store mayo, like when I am visiting my mom or something.

Please read my thread and consider the food safety aspects I was taught over and over and over in chef school. Yeah I may sound like a pain in the butt, but I saw first hand a bunch of folks get ill from eating a caesar's dressing that was not properly done. It's not pretty. Scalding a couple eggs before using them in mayo or caesar's dressing is not that time consuming. I'd rather be know for being a pain in the butt preaching food safety than known for making people ill with my food...

Big

You are correct. It scalds the outside of the egg and poached the interior just a tiny bit. When I make mayo I scald my eggs (or call it coddle) and then use the whole egg, if I get it a little too scalded I find some of the white has cooked onto the inside of the shell. I make mayo with the whole egg, not just the yolk like some folks do. It's not a complicated thing, I have a slotted spoon or what is call a spider basket that I use to lower the eggs into boiling water and remove them with. Easy as pie. Then continue with your recipe.

Just because our hens lay these eggs does not mean they are safe, the exterior of the shell can be dirty if you catch my drift... Ahem. Coddling takes care of that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wyoDreamer 

Big Mike, thanks for your advice. 

I had heard the term "coddled eggs" but never knew what it meant.  Just so I have it straight, you bring the water to a boil, then add the egg for 40 seconds and then remove from the pan, right?