This is one of those recipes that require quotation marks, not out of affectation, but because it’s not a true mayonnaise. It contains no egg yolks or mustard. It’s nothing more than an emulsion of milk and oil. More Brazilian than Portuguese, it’s just now beginning to be used on the Continent. The taste is lighter and cleaner than that of egg-based mayonnaise, allowing other flavors to come through.
☞ Read the Article: The Secret Behind Milk Mayonnaise
Since I was given the recipe, I haven’t stopped finding ways to cook with it. The master recipe is only a canvas for additions. Besides the uses in this book, I’ve smeared the variations on grilled meats and fish, used them as dips and in dressings, spread them on sandwiches, and stirred them into potato salads, much as I do with actual mayonnaise.
Why Isn’t my Mayonnaise Emulsifying?
Like all emulsions, this recipe can be a bit finicky. But adding the oil in a thin stream and stopping when the right consistency is reached is the key. For almost foolproof results, a handheld blender is best, but a small canister blender with a narrow base will do (tall and narrow is best here). Don’t do as some of us did and assume that a stand mixer or food processor will work—it just won’t. If you’re working with a less-than-powerful immersion blender, the consistency of the mayonnaise may turn out thinner than you’d expect. You can help it along by slowly adding 2 more tablespoons of oil to the milk mayonnaise as you continue to blend and it will thicken nicely.
Milk Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup very cold milk
- ¾ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove, peeled
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- About ¾ cup vegetable oil, or 1/2 cup (118 ml) vegetable oil plus 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine the milk, lemon juice, garlic, and pepper in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Using a handheld blender (or a blender), buzz on high for 30 seconds until frothy.
- With the motor running on high, slowly pour in the oil a few drops at a time, and gradually increase this to a fine thread, moving the blender up and down, until the mixture thickens lusciously and resembles a soft mayonnaise. You may need more or less oil.
- Season with salt to taste. The mayonnaise will last up to 1 week in the fridge.
Notes
Milk mayonnaise variations
Clockwise from top right: cilantro-ginger, curry, anchovy, sun-dried tomato.
Cilantro and Ginger Milk Mayonnaise | Maionese de Leite com Coentros e Gengibre
Add 1 loosely packed cup of well-dried fresh cilantro leaves and tendril-soft stems and a 1 1/2-inch peeled and grated thumb of ginger to the cup along with the milk, 1 3/4 teaspoons of lemon juice, and the pepper. Omit the garlic. Whir in the oil as directed above. Stir in 1 scallion cut into thin slices on the diagonal.Anchovy Milk Mayonnaise | Maionese de Leite com Anchovas
Add 6 anchovy fillets (generous 1 tablespoon) packed in oil to the cup along with the milk, lemon juice, garlic, and pepper. Whir in the oil as directed above. Omit the salt.Curry Milk Mayonnaise | Maionese de Leite com Caril
Add 2 teaspoons of your favorite curry powder to the cup along with the milk, lemon juice, garlic, and pepper. Whir in the oil as directed above. Before using, let this sit for an hour or so in the fridge to bloom.Tomato Milk Mayonnaise | Maionese de Leite com Tomate
Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of double-concentrate tomato paste to the cup along with the milk, garlic, and pepper. Omit the lemon juice. Whir in the oil as directed above. Stir in 1 tablespoon minced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have tried this four times now and tweaked it for my purposes. Yogurt worked well in compliment with herbed flavors which I loved for salad applications. I added melted butter, a splash of white vinegar, and a touch of onion powder instead of garlic (I found the garlic overpowering) to make a plain sandwich mayo but the yogurt in this application was too yogurty. This is my go to mayo recipe now. I even use it in my cafe and people are amazed that it is egg free.
Tonya, we love to see people getting creative with the additions. Which one is your favorite? The herb flavored one sounds fantastic.
David,
Your Portuguese Table came out just as I was catering a Spanish/Portuguese dinner party. Lucky for me as my food knowledge of the Iberian peninsula was limited to two years in southern Spain as a very young Navy wife. I read your book cover to cover and the milk mayo was a smash hit at the dinner party in its green olive iteration with bread slices. Fabulous! It should be called the disappearing dip as that is what happens when I make it…it disappears! We also like it with a simple Spanish salad: diced tomato, cucumber and red onion with tuna and a red wine vinaigrette. The mayo goes on a garnish of quartered boiled eggs, and then it all gets a sprinkle of poppy seeds. A great summer supper. (indoors, no skeeters. lol)
To be said like one of the ladies in “Steel Magnolias.”: Pam, you’ve warmed the cockles of my heart.
A behind-the-scenes peek: That recipe took us forever, fovEVER to recreate here in the States. On was on the phone with Patton Conner, one of our testers, counting down to zero then hitting the button on blenders, mini-chops, hand blenders. Then we would time it to see when it would whip it just right. I don’t know about Patton, but I have oil marks on the ceiling when the cap flew off the blender.
Made mine in the mini chop. I might make some tonight with some great Spanish anchovy olives that have been calling me from the pantry…
Pam, stop it, you’re killing me!
It’s what happens when you start those creative juices flowing…!
Don’t I know it.
Yes, I’m sure you do. And judging by the site AND your book, quite a lot else about food besides. But you know what I like best about your site is that you answer or comment on almost all(!) of your readers posts. That is so thoughtful of you, not many writers do. Reading the comments and the repartee is almost like being at a dinner party with a bunch of chefs and foodies. I love it! Thank you so much.
Pam, your comment made my day. Thank you. We have a No Comment Left Behind policy that we try very hard to uphold. And I guess all I can say is….welcome to the dinner party.
I’ll do my best to make your milk-mayo and you world famous in Denmark, to me this seems to be the best recipe of the year…or in May!
Mange tak, Lisbet! Hope you enjoy it!