Once in a blue moon I feel the need to make homemade bread. My favorite bread to make is buttery brioche. I love the cakey crumbs, golden-yellow color, and the sweetness in the background. I love to eat it for breakfast with soft scrambled eggs with goat cheese, and jam. And speaking of jams I recently discovered some made by The Copper Pot Food Company. I’ve tried the Peach and Prosecco Bellini, Pear and Ginger, and the Strawberry Vanilla Bean. I’m unable to decide which one I like best. They are for sale at several of the DC area farmers markets.
Now, for lunch or dinner, I like to make sandwiches of extra sharp cheddar cheese and mayonnaise on toasted slices of brioche. Store bought mayonnaise or Vegenaise (which I secretly love) will not do when homemade brioche is involved. So I make homemade mayonnaise. This is really easy to make and tastes so much better than store-bought. This recipe is also customizable to your personal taste. You can use any oil you like (for example, canola oil or olive oil) but I really prefer the clean, neutral taste of grape-seed oil. You could also use all lemon juice or all vinegar as the acidic component. I find a mixture of the two yields the best flavor: lemony with a slight tanginess from the vinegar in the background.
Homemade Mayonnaise
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
• Salt, ¼ to ½ teaspoon or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 cup grape-seed oil
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1. In a bowl, add egg yolks, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, rice vinegar, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and sugar. Mix well with a whisk.
2. Slowly drizzle in the grape-seed oil while whisking vigorously until all the oil is incorporated and the mixture has thickened. Add the heavy cream and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
Adapted from Eggs by Michel Roux.
You can store the mayonnaise in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. If you feel iffy about using raw egg yolks, you may want to try this recipe for Eggless Mayonnaise by David Lebovitz.
One Vanilla Bean 
Oh yum, I love the sound of your mayonnaise. I can imagine spreading it on a delicious crusty bread and turning it in to a steak sandwich. I like the idea of the cayenne pepper.
I also like mayonnaise. I can eat it by itself.
Linda and Lola, thanks for your comments.
Now I’m thinking about making a steak sandwich for dinner! And also, asparagus season has just started here. Maybe will serve some roasted or steamed asparagus with mayo as a dipping sauce along that steak sandwich. :O)
I totally agree–grape seed oil really is the best to use. And there’s nothing better than brioche! Your mayonnaise looks divine!
Delicious! Nothing beats homemade mayo. How would you describe the difference in flavor/texture from the addition of the heavy cream. I haven’t seen that in many recipes and I am intrigued.
I was looking for a Mayonnaise recipe I’m glad you are sharing this one and I was looking for an excuse to buy Grapeseed Oil so even better jijiji.
I do have a question, if I use lime juice instead of lemon would it make a huge difference?
Great photography btw!
Cheers!
Adrianna-Glad you agree! Grape seed oil is the most neutral-flavored one for this in my experience. I find olive oil has too strong a taste and ends up giving the mayo a bit of a bitter aftertaste that I don’t care for.
Mike-the heavy cream makes it a bit creamier, less stiff, and more spreadable. You can omit it. If I have heavy cream on hand, I add it in. If I don’t, I don’t worry about it.
Helena-I’ve made it with lime juice and added finely chopped cilantro/parsley to use it as a dip for patacones, yucca, or fried fish (basically anything fried). It is super tangy! I would recommend you make half the quantity and see how you like it. The lime juice does change the flavor profile a bit. It gives it a stronger citrus taste. And thanks for the photo compliments! Trying to get better at it. :O)
Thank you all for your comments!
You are so right! Homemade bread calls for homemade mayo! And what a fabulous tasty recipe! I learned the secret of mayo from my French husband and we make ours for special events. I must try this recipe next! (beautiful bread, by the way!)