Eons ago (OK it was last September, so nearly a year, then) I reviewed a book called Fat, by Jennifer McLagan. It's a very thought-provoking book to say the least, and after reading I decided to become a hoarder of fat.
When I say "hoarder of fat" I mean that in the mildest of ways. I skimmed all the beef fat off of my braised beef ribs to use in McLagan's cornish pasty recipe, wrapping it well after letting it solidify, and then freezing it. It's still there. I also started collecting my bacon fat whenever I cooked bacon. Because I don't eat that much bacon, and I tend to buy leaner bacon to begin with, it took me just over 11 months to save up the 1/2 cup of bacon fat required for McLagan's Bacon Mayonnaise recipe found on page 101. I kept the fat in a small ramekin, covered at all times, in my fridge. I finally, finally had half a cup last week.
Here is the recipe.
Bacon Mayonnaise, from Fat by Jennifer McLagan, page 101
1 egg yolk
3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup liquid bacon fat
Combine egg yolk, mustard, & lemon juice in small bowl of a food processr or blender and process to mix. Season with salt & pepper.
Have the bacon fat liquid but not hot. With the machine running, gradually add bacon fat until the mixture starts to stiffen & emulsify, about 2 minutes. Once it begins to emulsify, add the fat more quickly. Adjust seasoning. If it's too thick, thin with 1 tsp of boiling water.
I have a small food processor but even so, the yolk/mustard/lemon juice mixture was too small an amount to properly mix in the food processor. I ended up having to whisk everything in a bowl by hand after the first ingredients kind of stuck to the bottom of the food processor bowl.
Here is the finished product:
It tasted...OK. Not overpoweringly of bacon, surprisingly. In fact, it was a tad bland. To test it out, I put in on a great burger I made, served with grilled veggies.
It actually complemented the burger a lot, lending it a bacony flavour and an extra juiciness to the meat, since the mayo basically melted when it came into contact with the hot burger. Will this replace Hellmann's for me? No way. I can't see this being as versatile as Hellmann's and it just isn't the same. But it was a good experiement.
No, no more bacon fat hoarding!
12 comments:
Mmm, bacon fat. Harder to save now that they pump so much water into the bacon.
Still, it is lovely.
What a great idea to make mayo out of it, I am surprised it was so mild.
I'd love to read Fat one day, sounds interesting.
Oh my. I read bacon mayo and thought...well that's genius. Too bad it was bland for you.
My cholesterol has bene high so I better pass on this one.
I don't like commercial mayo because I find it has no flavor. I prefer Miracle Whip for that added tang. But this mayo with bacon fat... I would ADORE. Although it would also take me eons to save up enough bacon fat for the recipe!
UMMMM Bacon!
Sadly, I have tried my hand at making mayo also, with the same results...Lot of effort with little payoff.
BUT, keep saving that bacon fat. A tablespoon, with some of those beans you have, a quick saute (stir fry) and hot-crispy-flavorful!
My sainted Mother taught me to save bacon fat and she was right
mmmmm....bacon. I save the fat, too...I may have to give this a try. Wonder if folding in some crumbled bacon in the end would help eliminate the blandness? I'm gonna say it's worth a shot :D
Bacon... mayo? Could there be such a wonderful thing? Heh. I'm surprised it was bland too, but you never know how these things will turn out. I always save my bacon fat, I love it for cooking eggs in.
Wow, that's original! I'd love to try this recipe!
Cheers,
Rosa
Great experiment! I have a recipe kicking around for a bacon baklava that I need to try.
I read your blog title and thought YIPPIE!! Oh, well, maybe someone will discover a way to EASILY make bacon flavored mayo. I had to laugh at your hording and tossing story.
Just the sound of it makes my mouth water! That's a bummer that it was bland especially after all that hoarding. The book sounds interesting.
personally, I prefer to wipe my bacon fat up with bread and eat it, but whatever floats your boat lol. I, too, was excited by the title of this post. Sad the end result (the mayo not the post!) ended up being a fizzer.
Wow, sounds really good. Love bacon, I'll remember to save the fat next time.
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