Gluten Free Mayonnaise, Light & Cheap

I first met Mrs. Avra, mother of one of my fellow students, in the summer of 1988 in Halkidiki. Warm, welcoming person and amazing cook. She was from island Chios but had become a “love migrant” in Thessaloniki because of her husband. Every afternoon she enjoyed her coffee looking at the sea.

I have eaten sea urchins only once in my life, when while we were swimming, he dived and caught a sea urchin and in the sea he opened it with a small knife, that she carried with her and offered me its eggs! Unique experience!

He also made me love & eat fish dishes with an amazing mayonnaise recipe. Therefore, from Mrs. Avra, I’ve learned to cook this light, but also cheap (because we use half the olive oil of the normal recipe and it yields the same amount) mayonnaise recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup water (250ml) (room temperature)
3 tbsp. gluten-free cornflour / cornstarch
pinch of black pepper (normally it needs white pepper but I like to show off on the recipe)
pinch of sweet or hot paprika (optional)
½ tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp mustard
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (all mayonnaise recipes uses seed oil but the only oil I use is always extra virgin olive oil)
½ lemon the juice only

Instructions:

In a bowl, mix the egg yolk with the mustard well and leave it aside.
In a bain-marie* we place the water, the cornflour / corn starch, the salt and pepper. Stirring them constantly with an egg beater whisk until it thickens and becomes the texture of a sauce. Also, you ‘ll see the consistency of the mixture has been slightly transparent.
Turn off the heat and add in the beaten egg yolk with the mustard, a small amount of the hot mixture, stirring them constantly and then pour it into the mixture and continue to stirring them for another 2 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the bain-marie and dripping the oil, one at the time while stirring constantly. At the end, we slowly add the lemon juice and our mayonnaise is ready.

Tips:

* No special utensil is needed, just place a metal or fireproof bowl over a pot of boiling water.
The amount of salt, pepper, paprika and lemon it depens of how you want the taste to be.
To place it in the refrigerator, prefer a glass jar with an airtight lid.