Looking for Easter brunch ideas? Try a classic French egg dish, oeufs mayonnaise

A universal symbol of spring and rebirth, the humble egg stars in the legendary French bistro classic oeufs mayonnaise.

It’s a very special Easter egg!

The pagan ritual of coloring eggs as a gift to the Sun for warming the Earth after the long winter has been practiced in some form by almost every agricultural civilization throughout Europe and Asia since ancient times.

This Easter Sunday I will be serving oeufs mayonnaise garnished with slivers of anchovy filet and a platter of crisply steamed asparagus spears as part of my spring brunch menu.

Jacques Pepin inspired me to try my hand at making mayonnaise with the delightful story of his mother and father dripping oil and whisking it into a seasoned egg yolk in their French kitchen every Sunday night to create a supply of the unctuous emulsion for the week.

Knowing this would not play well at our house, I dropped the idea until one day hurrying through the kitchen I spied my Kitchen Aid mixer, whisk attachment at the ready.

“Bon Papa!” I silently shouted. This gadget won’t get tired or talk back to me.

The hardest part of making mayonnaise is remembering to bring the fresh chicken egg to room temperature. The recipe is doomed to fail if you don’t, although the ingredients are simple.

Depending on the amount of liquid added, the mayonnaise can be thick such as Best Foods brand or a creamy sauce-like consistency as in this recipe.

Decrease the lemon and vinegar for a firmer mayonnaise.

If you choose not to try your hand at making mayonnaise, Best Foods thinned with lemon juice can be substituted, but it’s not the same as the Paris bistro version!

To make oeufs mayonnaise, cut six hard-boiled eggs in half and place yolk side down on a small hors d’oeuvre plate.

Spoon a tablespoon or so of mayonnaise over each half to fully cover.

Garnish with a sliver of anchovy, ham or a sprinkle of chives.

An alternative presentation idea for the hard-cooked eggs and mayo is oeufs mimosa.

Halve eggs and remove yolks to a fine sieve.

Strew a handful of fresh baby spinach dried with a modicum of olive oil and lemon juice on a small plate.

Place the two egg white halves cavity side up in the center of the greens and spoon about a tablespoon of mayonnaise into each cavity.

With the back of a clean small spoon, press egg yolks through sieve and spoon on top of mayonnaise. Garnish with a cooked asparagus tip, chopped chives, a crumble of bacon or a generous pinch of smoked paprika.

Each recipe serves six people. Bon appetit!

Mayonnaise

1 fresh egg yolk at room temperature

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 pinch dried mustard

A grind or two of white pepper, optional

1 tablespoon strained lemon juice, preferably Meyer

1 tablespoon good quality white or red wine vinegar

1/2 to 3/4 cup oil such as safflower, avocado or grape seed

In the mixer bowl, place egg yolk, salt mustard, pepper, lemon juice and vinegar. Whisk on high until well combined.

With the motor running in the high range, slowly stream in oil from a spouted measuring cup until mixture is emulsified. This takes 3 to 5 minutes. With a spatula, transfer mayonnaise to

a glass jar with a lid and refrigerate.

Hard-Cooked Eggs

Bring water to a rolling boil. Place 6 eggs from the refrigerator in steamer basket and set over boiling water.

Steam for 12 to 13 minutes for solid yolks with a hint of jam.

Remove eggs from basket to counter and allow to cool before gently peeling under a drizzle of running water. Strike at the bottom, piercing the membrane and remove the membrane with the shell. Cover and chill until ready to assemble.

The Culinary Corner is special to The Tribune. Comments or questions? Contact Nancy DePue-Allen at nancyal@pacbell.net.