Œufs Mayonnaise
Halved boiled eggs under a blanket of proper mayonnaise. There is a French society dedicated to defending it, which tells you how seriously the details are taken.
Photograph credit: Oeufs mayonnaise by einalem · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Flickr · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Nine minutes, not twelve. The yolk should be set at the edge and still faintly waxy at the centre — a fully hard yolk goes chalky and grey-rimmed and the whole dish becomes an English picnic egg. Straight into iced water afterwards, both to stop the cooking dead and because the temperature shock is what makes the shell come away cleanly. The mayonnaise wants to be thick enough to coat and stay put rather than run off onto the plate.
Photograph credit: Oeuf Mayonnaise - Restaurant Eden, Place de Armes by Haydn Blackey · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Flickr · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
The Method for Œufs Mayonnaise
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Lower the eggs into boiling water and cook exactly 9 minutes at a steady simmer.
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Transfer immediately to a bowl of iced water and leave 5 minutes.
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Whisk the egg yolks with the mustard, vinegar and salt until pale and thick.
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Add the oil drop by drop, whisking hard, until the emulsion takes, then in a thin stream. Finish with the lemon juice. It should hold a peak.
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Peel the eggs under running water and halve them lengthways.
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Lay them cut-side down on lettuce leaves and spoon the mayonnaise over so each half is covered.
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Dust with paprika, scatter with chives and serve cold.
Related guide: Rescuing a split sauce.
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Worth Getting Right
- Nine minutes. Twelve gives you a grey, chalky yolk.
- Iced water straight away, for the shell as much as the cooking.
- Thick mayonnaise — it has to sit on the egg, not run off.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- A dry vermouth keeps for longer than an open bottle of white wine and is the closer swap than a random white left in the fridge; for an alcohol-free version, use the same amount of stock with a squeeze of lemon.
Pairs Well With
Baguette · Cornichons · A cold beer
Keeping and Reheating
The mayonnaise keeps 3 days refrigerated. Assemble within a couple of hours of serving.
The Numbers per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. Garnishes, greasing and other items with no amount are not counted. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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