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Mayonnaise sauce, true

Erken's basic recipe for true mayonnaise from 1914: 2 egg yolks are stirred thick with salt, pepper, and mustard, vinegar is stirred in before 2 dl oil is dripped in, and 1 tbsp boiling water at the end stabilizes the sauce. Includes her troubleshooting advice: the oil must be at kitchen temperature, never ice under the bowl, and a curdled mayonnaise rescued with a new egg yolk and vinegar.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 346 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Here Erken gives her basic recipe for true mayonnaise, with detailed notes on why the mayonnaise curdles. Note that she expressly warns against using ice-cold oil or placing the bowl on ice – 'a complete misunderstanding.'

How to make it

  1. 1

    Stir the egg yolks

    Put the egg yolks in an ordinary teacup or small bowl, add the salt, pepper, and mustard, and stir the mixture thick with a silver fork.

  2. 2

    Vinegar first

    Stir the vinegar in quickly, making sure it is well blended with the egg yolks before the oil is added.

  3. 3

    Drip in the oil

    Add the oil drop by drop with constant stirring. The oil should be at kitchen temperature – do not use cold oil, and do not place the bowl on ice.

  4. 4

    Boiling water

    Finally stir in a tablespoon of boiling water; it keeps the sauce from curdling.

  5. 5

    Resting time

    Cover the sauce and let it stand a couple of hours, so it becomes suitably thick. It can well be made the day before.

  6. 6

    If the mayonnaise curdles

    If the mayonnaise curdles – because the oil was added too fast, was too cold, or too much oil was used relative to the egg yolks (one egg yolk absorbs about 75 g oil) – take a new egg yolk and a few drops of vinegar and stir the curdled mayonnaise in little by little.

Changes from the original

'Knife tip' is interpreted as a knife tip/pinch. Measurements have been kept in deciliters and tablespoons. The method has been divided into numbered steps, and Erken's notes have been included as a separate step.

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Frequently asked questions

Why must the vinegar go in before the oil?
In this recipe from Stor kokebok (1914), the vinegar should be well stirred together with the egg yolks, seasoning, and salt before the oil is dripped in. If the vinegar is not well blended first, you more easily get a sauce that curdles.
How do I keep the mayonnaise from curdling?
Add the oil drop by drop, use oil at kitchen temperature (not cold oil, and no ice around the cup), and finally stir in 1 tablespoon of boiling water – the boiling water keeps the sauce from curdling.
How long does it take, and can it be made ahead?
After stirring in, the sauce is covered and stands a couple of hours (about 140 minutes total) to become suitably thick. It can well be made the day before.
What ingredients are needed?
2 egg yolks (small eggs), 2 deciliters cooking oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, a knife tip each of salt, pepper, and mustard, and 1 tablespoon boiling water. Stirred thick in an ordinary teacup with a silver fork.

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