Making Foods from Scratch

With food and gas prices on the rise, it seems like a good time to consider making more foods from scratch. It’s definitely economical, if not convenient but you may wonder if it’s a good use of your time. With a well-executed plan in hand, it just might be. It is also a lot of fun.

The other main reason for making things from scratch is the control you have over what goes into the final product. With so much emphasis on eating healthy and buying organic foods and/or products without a long list of additives, cooking from scratch can put your mind at ease that you are eating wholesome, healthy food. You can also get a lot of use out of some of those appliances that crowd your cupboards.

Dust off the blender. I’m sorry to say that blenders in general have been relegated to making smoothies and crushing ice. Food processors, I must admit, do a great many more tasks, but there are a few things that a blender does best. One of these is homemade mayonnaise. Here is a product that is so superior when made at home, that there really is no comparison. This is especially true now that everyone is trying to cut down on fat and is using “light” or fat-free versions. Sadly, these are really inferior and besides, in order to make the fat-free or low-fat versions palatable, they are chock-full of fillers, gelatin and carbohydrates. Make your own in a matter of seconds and just use less or less often.

You can make your mayonnaise with any vegetable oil or with all or part pure olive oil, in which case you get aioli. You can vary the flavor by using lemon juice instead of vinegar and adding garlic or herbs to taste.

Making mayonnaise from scratch without a blender can be a stressful and somewhat tedious endeavor. The oil must be beaten into the egg mixture with the utmost care, drop by drop or the oil will separate and float on top of the egg.

As simple as blender mayonnaise is, there are a few tricks to keep a disaster or at least a disappointment from occurring. Here is the method; follow the directions EXACTLY:

(From Ann Seranne’s Good Food with a Blender)

How to Make Perfect Blender Mayonnaise in 15 seconds:

Makes 1 1/3 cups

1 egg
2 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
½ tsp dry mustard
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup salad oil

1. Break the egg into the container. Add vinegar or lemon juice, mustard, salt and ¼ cup of the oil. 2. Cover and blend on Low Speed. 3. Immediately remove inner cap or cover and pour in remaining oil in quite a fast stream (do not add it drop by drop). All the oil must be added by the end of 15 seconds blending time. 4. A few drops of oil may remain on the surface of the mayonnaise. Without turning blender off, switch to High and blend for just 3 seconds more.

Note: Should the mixture fail to thicken, pour three-quarters of it into a measuring cup. Add another egg to the mixture left in the container and start again at step 2, adding the mixture in the measuring cup in the same manner that you originally added the oil.

I once brought a simple seafood salad to a gathering and got so many rave reviews and requests for the recipe that I was really amazed. The only thing different about that salad from scores of others that everyone has tasted was the homemade mayonnaise. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the reactions you get.

A good Hollandaise sauce may be a caloric extravagance, but it is, nonetheless, a classic dressing for vegetables (especially asparagus) and the famed Eggs Benedict. It can be a very iffy sauce to prepare, just like its cousin mayonnaise, because of the emulsion’s tendency to curdle and separate. Here is the blender method that has always worked for me.

Makes 1 ¼ cups

½ pound butter (2 sticks)
4 egg yolks
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Heat butter until very hot but do not allow it to brown. Put egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne into blender container. Cover and turn on Medium speed. Remove cover and pour in the hot butter in a steady stream. Serve immediately or keep warm in a double boiler. Should the sauce become too thick while standing, add 1 Tbsp. hot water and blend briefly. Sauce can be stored in refrigerator for at least a week or frozen for several months. Reheat over hot water.