Two nights on the go now we've had a perfect egg mayonnaise. Monday I served it alongside steamed asparagus and spiced chipped potatoes; tonight it was steamed potatoes, pork and herb sausage and shredded iceberg lettuce. In both dishes the egg provides the moisture and it sets the vegetables off perfectly.
To start, you need to boil your eggs right. Large hens eggs take 9 minutes to cook, small ones take 7. I think they're done to perfection when the center has just set, it will still be a golden translucent colour with a jelly like consistency, while the white is soft almost pliable. If you overcook it, the yolk will become pale and chalky, while the white takes on a rubbery consistency.
For the egg mayonnaise you might like to cook the eggs softer still, perhaps taking a minute off the cooking time so that the very center of the yolk is still liquid, adding a rich and smooth note to the finished texture.
It's important that the eggs don't crack during cooking and the main reason for cracking is the egg expanding too much too quickly. In particular, the air trapped in the egg has to escape through the porous shell as it warms up. Bring your eggs to room temperature before you cook then and this will relieve some of the pressure.
Bring the water to a rolling boil in the pan, when you put the eggs in they need to be just peeping above the surface of the water so getting the quantity of water right might take a little practice. I find the easiest way to get the egg in the water is to put it in a tablespoon and gently lower it along the edge of the pan before rolling it off the spoon onto the botton of the pan.
Keep the water boiling, but not too violently. If an egg cracks now, well you did your best, it's still going to be tasty. Watch out though because the escaped protein from the egg will capture bubbles in the boiling water and form a froth that can quickly cause the pan to boil over.
Time the eggs from the moment you lower them into the boiling water. When the time is up take the pan off the heat and put the eggs in cold water. This will allow the outside of the eggs to cool sufficiently to be handled. Leave the eggs in the water, take them out one at a time and tap them gently all over to thoroughly crack the shell. Gently peel off the shell and the membrane, take care not to tear the soft white, especially of the eggs are still slightly runny. Finally you can use the cold water to rinse the surface of the egg to rove the last small pieces of shell. Put the peeled egg in a bowl.
My egg mayonnaise requires 3 boiled eggs, 3 generous teaspoonfuls of the mayonnaise, two teaspoonfuls of aioli and about 100 inches of fine chive cut to quarter inch lengths. Put all of the ingredients into a 2 pint bowl and then using a sharp knife, cut through the eggs until no piece os larger than half an inch and mix thoroughly.
Serve while still warm.
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