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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.

Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

Modernised → 1949 (proofread, p. 382)~80% of the text changedremovedadded
(Sauce mayonnaise.) 2 stk eggeplommer (av små egg). (små egg) 2 dl del. matolje (skal ha kjøkkentemperatur). 1 ss eddik. 1 klype spiseskje norex estragoneddik i knivsodd salt (knivsodd). 1 klype i — pepper (knivsodd). 1 klype sennep (knivsodd, tørr eller ferdig sennep). 1 ss kokende vann. Ha eggeplommene i en vanlig tekopp eller liten bolle, tilsett salt, — sennep Eggeplommene tilsettes saltet, pepper og sennep, og rør blandingen tykk røres tykt i en almindelig tekopp med en sølvgaffel.. Rør eddiken raskt inn, sølvgaffel. Eddiken røres fort i, og pass på at den er godt blandet med eggeplommene før oljen tilsettes.. Tilsett ha så oljen i dråpe for dråpe under stadig omrøring. Oljen — oljen skal ha kjøkkentemperatur – ikke bruk kald olje, og sett ikke bollen på is.. Rør til slutt inn en spiseskje kokende vann; kjøkkentemperatur. Eddiken må være godt blandet med eggeplommene, før man begynner å dryppe oljen i; tilsist røres det kokende vann i. Det kokende vann hindrer sausen i å skille seg.. sig. Dekk den nu til sausen og la den stå et par timer, så blir den passe tykk. Den kan gjerne lages dagen før.. Skiller før også. Bemerkninger: 1) Eddiken må i før oljen. 2) Ha ikke for kold olje, og ha ikke is omkring koppen når majonesen seg – fordi lages; det er en fullstendig misforståelse. 3) Tilsett krydderier som salt, pepper, sennep til eggeplommene, før oljen ble tilsatt for fort, var røres i. Hvorfor skilles majonesen sig? 1) Fordi oljen fra begynelsen tilsettes for kald, hurtig. 2) Fordi oljen brukes størk­net eller det ble brukt for mye kold, den skal ha kjøkkentemperatur. 3) At man er for rundhåndet med olje i forhold til eggeplommene (én eggeplomme. En eggeplomme tar opp ca. optar 75 g olje) – tar gram olje. Skilles nu majonesen sig tross alt, får man ta en ny eggeplomme egge­plomme og noen nogen dråper eddik eddik, og rører så røre den skilte skifte majonesen inn i litt etter efter litt.

Note on Modernised

«Knivsod» er tolket som en knivsodd/klype. Mål er beholdt i desiliter og spiseskjeer. Fremgangsmåten er delt i nummererte trinn, og Erkens merknader er tatt med som eget trinn.

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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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