Mayonnaise Sauce and Derivatives Because this is an uncooked sauce, only the freshest, pasteurised eggs should be used for food hygiene reasons. Mayonnaise is an emulsion sauce - by the means of an emulsion agent (egg yolk) oil and water that don't normally mix will combine forming a creamy cold sauce. Mayonnaise may be used as a cold sauce with cold appetisers or cold buffets, alternatively it may be thinned and used as a salad dressing also. Ingredients  egg yolks 1 pc  vinegar 15 ml  mustard 1 tsp  oil - soya 200 ml Method   1. Place egg yolks, vinegar and mustard (approximately 1/2 teaspoon) into a bowl and combine well with a whisk   2. While whisking (in a figure of eight movement), very slowly add the oil a little at a time until completely combined   3. Once all the oil has been added, continue whisking for a further minute to ensure a complete emulsion   4. Taste, correct seasoning, add more vinegar and / or mustard if required   5. If the sauce is too thick it may be thinned with a little boiling water, if too thin more oil may be added Chef's Tip: Sometimes the emulsion will not work, when this happens we say the sauce has split or curdled, mayonnaise will curdle or split for a variety of reasons:   * the oil is too warm or too cold   * the oil was added to quickly   * the whisking was insufficient   * the yolks were stale  This can be corrected by one of two means:   * a little boiling water is placed into a bowl and the curdled mayonnaise slowly whisked into it   * a fresh egg yolk and a little vinegar or water is placed into a bowl and the curdled mayonnaise slowly whisked into it   The consistency of this sauce can be varied by the addition of hot water to thin, adding more oil will only thicken it   The vegetable / soya oil can be replaced successfully with virgin olive oil or a 1:1 ratio of virgin olive and vegetable oil   Extra virgin olive oil should not be used as it has too strong a flavour Derivatives include: Mayonnaise is a mother sauce from which many derivatives may be obtained (amounts are best added to taste) Andalusian / Andalouse tomato purée (or juice) and brunoise / julienne of capsicum Aioli  for recipe click here Cocktail Sauce  tomato purée and Tabasco (this is a generic sauce to which other additives may be added: chopped onion, chives, etc)Genoise purée of herbs, pistachio and almonds, seasoned with lemon juice Green purée of herbs and spinach (sieved) Gribiche  bruise of gherkins, capers, chervil, tarragon, chopped egg yolk and white Mousquétaire  chopped shallots (blanched in white wine), chives and cayenne Remoulade  as for tartare with chopped anchovies Russe lobster / New Zealand crayfish coral, caviar purée, mustard And Escoffier sauce   Suédoise  apple purée and horseradish Tartare  chopped capers, gherkins, parsley, chives Chef Jos Wellman Tutor, author and restaurateur New Zealand   Read aslo: Mayonnaise Sauce and Derivatives  Aioli Sauce Bechamel Sauce  Hollandaise Sauce Food Tip on Preparing Sauces Steak Marinades Recipes  Cooking tips on Marinades and Marinating