Last night we made one of my favorite meals, crab cakes. Crab cakes calls for homemade mayo, which is always a challenge for me. I’ve tried all the paleo variations with little success and always a huge mess. The best recipe that I’ve come across by far, is Julia Child’s recipe. It always turns out the way it’s supposed to, creamy and decadent. The main difference from all other recipes is the lack of egg whites. Here’s how her recipe goes:

Julia Child’s Hand Beaten Mayonnaise (We used our stand mixer)

Ingredients

• Round-bottomed, 2½ to 3-quart glazed pottery, glass or stainless steel mixing bowl. Set it in a heavy casserole or saucepan to keep it from slipping.
• 3 egg yolks
•  Large wire whisk
• 1 tablespoon wine vinegar or lemon juice (more drops as needed)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon dry or prepared mustard
•  1½ to 2¼ cups of olive oil, salad oil or a mixture of each. If the oil is cold, heat it to tepid; and if you are a novice, use the minimum amount
• 2 tablespoons boiling water

Directions

1. Warm the bowl in hot water; dry it. Add the egg yolks and beat for 1 to 2 minutes until they are thick and sticky.
2. Add the vinegar or lemon juice, salt and mustard. Beat for 30 seconds more.
3. The egg yolks are now ready to receive the oil. While it goes in, drop by drop, you must not stop beating until the sauce has thickened. A speed of 2 strokes per second is fast enough. You can switch hands or switch directions, as long as you beat constantly.
4. Add the drops of oil with a teaspoon, or rest the lip of the bottle on the edge of the bowl. Keep your eye on the oil rather than on the sauce. Stop pouring and continue beating every 10 seconds or so, to be sure the egg yolks are absorbing the oil.
5. After 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oil has been incorporated, the sauce will thicken into a very heavy cream and the crisis of potential curdling is over. The beating arm may rest a moment. Then, beat in the remaining oil by 1 to 2 tablespoon dollops, blending it thoroughly after each addition.
6. When the sauce becomes too thick and stiff, beat in drops of vinegar or lemon juice to thin it out. Then continue with the oil.
7. Beat the boiling water into the sauce. This is an anti-curdling insurance. Season to taste.
8. If the sauce is not used immediately, scrape it into a small bowl and cover it tightly so a skin will not form on its surface.

To go along with the crab cakes we tried out a butternut squash latke recipe I found on this pretty awesome Paleo blog, Paleo on Main Street. So far I’ve tried the latkes and her pecan pie truffles, which were delicious. I highly recommend making them the next time you have a potluck or a party. Our latkes only differed by the type of oil they were fried in, we chose to use leftover bacon grease instead of coconut oil.

The final product… So good!