Classic Mayonnaise

Steps

1. 1
   Bring the eggs to room temperature and set your bowl on a damp cloth so it cannot move.
2. 2
   Whisk the yolks with the mustard, vinegar and salt for 30 seconds until slightly paler.
3. 3
   Add the oil drop by drop at first, whisking hard. This first 50 ml decides whether the sauce works at all.
4. 4
   Once it thickens and holds the whisk mark, add the remaining oil in a slow steady stream.
5. 5
   If it becomes stiffer than you want, whisk in a teaspoon of warm water to loosen it.
6. 6
   Finish with the lemon juice and adjust the salt.
7. 7
   To rescue a split mayonnaise, whisk a fresh yolk in a clean bowl and beat the broken sauce into it a spoonful at a time.