Eggs-istential Guilt Be Gone — here’s how not to waste them

I make a lot of mayonnaise. Which is wonderful except that the recipe requires egg yolks, and not whites. I feel guilty throwing away the leftover whites, so this epicurean inequality has turned me into an inveterate egg white hoarder.

My freezer plays host to many, many teeny tiny plastic packets. Within each one is the aforementioned low fat, high protein, translucent substance. This is not in and of itself a problem — according to Chef’s Resource properly stored egg whites can be frozen for up to six months — some other sources say longer. My issue is that I struggle to use them all, and consequently I have amassed significant viscous reserves.

Food waste is not okay, which is why I asked my fabulous friend Adele Stiehler-van der Westhuizen, Managing Director of the Prue Leith Culinary Institute, for a macaron recipe. Making these elegant puffs of egg white, sugar, almond flour and air has helped me clear my freezer and be the change I want to see. At least that is what I tell myself…

I suspect that I am not alone. If you, too, are an egg white hoarder, keep a copy of this macaron recipe and refer to it regularly. If you do not have this particular problem, you will need to start from scratch. First, make my mayonnaise and then bake a batch of macarons. Either way, egg-induced happiness awaits.

Anna’s mayonnaise recipe

(Makes 300ml)

Ingredients

1 egg yolk (room temperature)
1 big pinch salt
15ml (1 Tbsp) Dijon mustard
15ml (1 Tbsp) of white-wine vinegar or lemon juice
250ml light olive, sunflower or other neutral oil (NB this is one of the rare occasions when you should not use extra virgin oil as its taste is too strong and your mayonnaise will be bitter)
25ml extra-virgin olive oil

Optional additions to taste: You can customise a basic mayonnaise with crushed garlic, herbs, lemon zest, finely chopped capers or anything else that takes your fancy — I like a few drops of Rwandan Akabanga chili oil.

Method

Ensure that all your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin. Cold eggs and oil can cause mayonnaise to split, so take your eggs out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you start beating. 

Put a damp cloth under a medium-sized bowl. This will anchor it when you start to whisk. Add the egg yolk and salt and whisk until the yolk has started to thicken (about a minute), then add the mustard and beat again. Slowly drizzle in the acid, whisking constantly for about another minute. Whisking can be done by hand or with an electric beater.

Now slowly add the oil. I mean very, very slowly, drop by drop, whisking all the time. Remember to use the light olive oil or a neutral oil for this stage. As you whisk and pour, the mayonnaise will start to thicken. Once you have added all the light oil, gradually add the more flavoursome extra virgin oil. You should have a glossy buttercup yellow cloud of bliss. You can add a little water or some more acid if you feel the texture is too thick. Season to taste.

In an ideal world you will have added the oil in such a slow and steady stream that perfection has been achieved, but since life is not always perfect, it is good to know that a split mayonnaise can be rescued by cracking another egg yolk into a fresh bowl and slowly beating your split mayonnaise into the new egg.

Prue Leith Culinary Institute Parisian Macarons

(Yield: about 45 macarons)

Ingredients

150g icing sugar

150g ground almonds

55g egg whites (A) (an average egg white is 30-33g but you must weigh them)

75g water

150g granulated white sugar

55g Egg whites (B)

Colouring as desired

Tools

Sugar thermometer, stand mixer, metal spoon. Metal spoons are thinner so folding in ingredients works better, and they also are easier to clean so that there are absolutely no impurities. Egg whites are notoriously fussy about impurities and will refuse to whip well if they suspect the slightest taint.

Method

Preheat the oven to 140˚C.

Mark out evenly spaced circles onto silicone baking mat/baking paper

Combine the icing sugar and ground almonds together in a bowl with a metal spoon, making sure they are combined well.

Pass the icing sugar and almond mixture through a sieve (ideally a tamis-type drum sieve) making sure to press all the ground almonds through so as to create what pastry chefs call “tant pour tant” — a fine, even texture where both elements are equally distributed throughout.

Combine the sugar and water together in a small saucepan. Start the syrup on a medium heat until all the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat and bring the mixture to 116˚C, remove the pot from the heat and allow the bubbles to subside.

While the sugar is boiling place the (B) egg whites into a (Kenwood-type) stand mixer bowl with a whisk attachment and whisk until medium peak; gradually pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl while whisking on medium speed. Whisk until the meringue is cool. The bowl should not feel warm to the touch.

Mix the (A) egg whites together with the tant pour tant using a metal spoon. The mixture should resemble a thick paste that can be spread with a spoon.

Add the colouring until the desired colour is attained; remember that the meringue that you are still to add will lighten the colour of the mixture.

Fold the meringue into the tant pour tant, and continue folding the mixture until it becomes a loose and shiny mixture.

Place the mixture into a piping bag with a size 7/8 round nozzle. Piping nozzles come in different sizes — the size is generally stamped onto the metal.

Pipe out the mixture into evenly sized circles. Once all the macarons are piped, hit the tray on the counter to release the air bubbles. This is important to prevent the macarons from cracking.

Before you bake the macarons, allow the piped rounds to air dry for 20-30 minutes until they form a crust. When pressed with your finger the shell must feel dry to the touch.

Bake until crisp and dry, about 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of the circles. Be careful not to colour the macarons.

Cool on the trays until the macarons come away easily from the baking paper.

Match like-sized macarons into pairs and sandwich together with a filling of your choice. Either buttercream or ganache will be deeply delicious. DM