Oeuf Mayonnaise
Eggs barely hard-cooked, dolloped with housemade mayo: without this simple, affordable bistro food, I would surely have perished under a bridge on the banks of the glittering Seine. A few bucks buys you a seat at a rickety table on a busy street for as long as you wish, leaving you free to jot remembrances and ideas as you soak up the sights, sounds, and smells of Paris. A crust of baguette dipped in the heavenly silkiness of real mayonnaise, a bite of egg, a sip of crisp lager, and you will want for little else in life, ever again, so long as you live. The waiter will scrupulously not talk to you. The beauty who spares you a cigarette flashes only a fleeting smile before vanishing. You are free, wonderfully alone. Most of my jotted remembrances and ideas revolved around my unending astonishment at just how good real mayonnaise can be. To emphasize the distinction between the ethereal wholesomeness of handmade mayo and the gelatinous goop that comes from a jar, I still refer to it by its breathy French name—just say it: oeuf mayonnaise. Homemade mayonnaise normally calls for a sprinkle of salt, but dissolving the salt in the sauce is a missed opportunity. Sprinkling little rubies of coarse alaea salt over a plop of mayonnaise reveals the clandestine romance of salt and sauce, animating this inscrutable dish, drawing attention to its splendors, and lending a glimpse of Paris to your day.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Start with all ingredients at room temperature. Put the eggs in a small pan, cover with cold water, and add the sel gris. Cover the pan, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook the eggs for 8 minutes. Drain, cool the eggs under cold running water, and refrigerate.
Step 2
Combine the egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Beat with a whisk until the yolks turn foamy and pale yellow. Slowly drizzle in the oil 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking continuously to emulsify the oil with the egg. The yolk-oil mixture should thicken as more oil is added. Continue until all the oil is incorporated and the mayonnaise is as thick as pudding. Insert the garlic clove in the middle of the sauce. The mayonnaise can be refrigerated to store (tastes best within a week).
Step 3
Meanwhile, peel the eggs, slice in half, and arrange them atop the lettuce on 4 serving plates. Put a large dollop of mayonnaise over each of the egg halves and sprinkle with the alaea salt. Serve with the baguette slices.
