Paleo Mayonnaise

And to think that I thought I wouldn’t enjoy mayonnaise ever again on the Paleo diet, boy was I wrong! The Paleo diet is the chance to discover blends and flavors of mayonnaise that will stay unknown to most people. For example, the baconnaise, the duckonnaise or the beefonnaise all made from the fat of their respective animal, pork, duck and beef. Most people think that this is an heart attack in a jar, but we know better and know that it’s really a health food.

I’ll give you two different versions of mayonnaise recipes today, a coconut oil mayonnaise and the now famous baconnaise. The technique of preparation is the same for both and also keep in mind that you can extend this delicious concoction with spices, fresh herbs (dill is delicious in it), garlic or even chopped pickles for a tartar sauce.

As for the technique, you can use either a blender, a food processor or your soon to be sore hand and a whisk. I prefer the version made by hand because it’s really not that hard and it makes for less things to clean afterwards. The technique is basically the same for all those methods, so I’ll explain it in a comprehensible way for the three methods.

The coconut mayonnaise is made with half olive oil because it would become way too hard in the refrigerator. I don’t recommend a full olive oil mayonnaise unless you use a light tasting olive oil because it will taste too strong.

Ingredients for the coconut Paleo mayonnaise (yields about 1 and 1/4 cups)

• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp mustard (this is optional)
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup coconut oil

Baconnaise variation

• 1 cup liquid bacon fat (you can of course use rendered lard, it’s the same thing) in place of the olive and coconut oils

Technique

1. Put the yolks in a bowl (blender, food processor) with the mustard, if using and 1 tsp lemon juice and mix those ingredients together;
2. Start whisking vigorously (blender or food processor on low) while dripping the oil very slowly, even drop by drop in the beginning. You’re creating an emulsion and if you put too much oil at once, it will separate and will be very hard to save. Whisk non-stop and use a towel under the bowl to help stabilize it;
3. As you add more oil, the emulsion will form and the mayonnaise will start to thicken and you can pour the oil faster at this point;
4. When all the oil is incorporated and the mayonnaise is thick, add the rest of the lemon juice and taste your creation. You can season to taste with salt and pepper;
5. Enjoy without guilt and put the store in the refrigerator!

And here you go, it’s that simple. Of course I encourage you to play with it and to come up with new variations. Happy Paleo mayonnaisemaking!