Yesterday the food writers at the Huffington Post were raving about a wonderful mayonnaise called Duke's, which is produced in the South and available only in regional stores. After I began looking for more information about it, I found that is sold extensively online because so many people want it, regardless of the fact that it isn't sold in their community.
If Duke's Mayonnaise is sold in Tucson, it may be found either at Sam's Club or at A. J.'s market, which is located in the La Encantada Mall clear at the northern end of Campbell Avenue in Tucson. From my house just north of Tucson International Airport I can catch Campbell/Kino Parkway, follow it all the way and end up in their parking lot. However, I may not have to if I decide to order Duke's to try it for myself.
So if you are ready to go look for Duke's, let me forestall you by mentioning that there is a link to order it at the end of my article. Meanwhile, after looking, I found a blog by a woman who calls herself the Hillbilly Housewife. She is no country bumpkin, though, because her blog is quite interesting and I recommend that you take a look at it. She publishes a mayonnaise recipe that she developed to be a copycat for Duke's, and I think that we should look at it--taking her ingredients seriously because she was not only working from the general knowledge base about how to make mayonnaise, but also from her personal familiarity with how Duke's actually tastes.
DUKE COPYCAT MAYONNAISE
From the Hillbilly Housewife
Ingredients:
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup vegetable oil (she uses olive oil)
1-1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Combine all the ingredients except 1/2 cup of the oil and pulse, then blend in a food processor until they are well combined.
Add the rest of the oil slowly, taste, and correct the seasoning. Keep it stored in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.
Our Hillbilly Housewife recommends olive oil for this mayonnaise and if you plan to use it, I recommend very light yellow olive oil and not the extra-virgin type. Southerners are more likely to use the lighter type of olive oil because it has been available for much longer than the more trendy EVOOs that we see nowadays.
I also recommend fresh-squeezed lemon juice because it is CHEAPER than bottled lemon juice and commercial food manufacturers use cheaper ingredients. American housewives form the major market for processed food while manufacturers want to mass-produce and economize whenever possible.
As I paged through many hyperlinks about Duke's Mayonnaise, I also noticed recipes for the famous mayonnaise chocolate cake. I don't normally make them, but hey, this is a classic recipe that bears some similarity to the cakes that include sour cream for the tangy flavor that it imparts. Those of us who are dairy-intolerant could try a mayonnaise chocolate cake and see how it works. Here is a recipe that does not use a cake mix, because I don't recommend "cooking" with premade mixes.
MAYONNAISE CHOCOLATE CAKE
Ingredients:
6 Tablespoons baking cocoa (1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups water
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two round layer pans or one oblong baking pan with nonstick spray.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set them aside.
Beat the mayonnaise, vanilla and water together. When they are combined, reduce the mixer speed to Fold and add the dry ingredients one-third at a time.
When the batter is mixed, pour it into the prepared pan or pans and bake for 30 minutes or (in the case of the oblong pan) until the top springs back when touched lightly.
Remove the cake(s) from the oven and cool them in the pan until they are lukewarm and no longer dangerous to handle. Turn them out to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting with your favorite flavor.
You'll notice that this recipe does not include eggs to beat first with the sugar, as we see in most pastry recipes. The consistency of the mayonnaise (plus the fact that it includes eggs) compensates for this. All in all we have a relatively-cheap and easy recipe for a chocolate cake here, which you can put together quickly and bake up whenever you'd like to serve a piece of cake with coffee after dinner.
For more info: if you would like to order Duke's Mayonnaise, visit The Mill River Store in Mount Airy, North Carolina online where you can order three 32-ounce jars of Duke's for $17.95 and it ships in 3 days. This is not the only outlet, but it seems like a good price and quantity for the typical family, and if you like mayo, a 32-ounce jar isn't likely to spoil before you use it up. Go to millriverstore.com.
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