Nothing beats a chicken. Not a cow, a lamb or a pig. Think I’m kidding? Exaggerating (who me?)? Well then, answer me one question: can a cow, lamb or pig lay an egg?

No.

I rest my case.

I mean, think about it. Chicken – roasted, poached, grilled, you name it – is pretty darn awesome. Slap on some Chile-spiked BBQ sauce and you’re cooking with gas. But then, like the lottery bonus ball, a chicken gives you eggs too. And now that we’ve finally realized eggs aren’t the dietary villain we thought they were, we can eat them with mad abandon. (To be honest I never stopped.)

And if you raise your own chickens like I do, you’ve got a fresh supply right on your doorstep. Yes, you heard me right. I have chickens. Now you’re probably saying to yourself, “Where does he find the time?” Let’s just say that while spreading the chile love is a full time job I do find time to care for my flock.

One of my favorite things to make with fresh eggs is mayonnaise. I can see you rolling your eyes. Who makes their own mayonnaise? Or more to the point, why? Because it tastes incredible – unlike any gunk you find in a jar. And it is so easy. Yes, easy.

The only trick is that you’ve got to drizzle the oil slowly – and I mean slowly – to get a rich emulsified sauce. Don’t pour it in with mad abandon like you’ve got some place to go. You need to be in a zen state of calm and at one with the oil. And this is not the time to whip out some expensive extra virgin olive oil from some fancy pants estate in Tuscany either. Put it away. Use a good quality vegetable oil instead.

And because chile is king, I’ve spiked the mayonnaise with  Chile and used lime juice instead of the traditional lemon juice.

What to do with this gorgeous beast? Well it’s summer you num-nut. Slather it on burgers. Slip some over barbecued salmon or as a dip for shrimp. Or create a massive crudité platter and dazzle your friends, neighbors and that kid from second grade who always picked on you. You’ve made a mayonnaise. You rule.

CHIPOTLE LIME MAYONNAISE

3 Egg yolks

1 Tbsp White wine vinegar

2 Limes, juice and zest

2-3 tsp Chipotle Chile Powder (Los Chileros)

1 tsp Salt

20 – 22 oz Vegetable Oil

Place all the ingredients except the vegetable oil in the bowl of a small food processor. Turn the food processor on and blend together. Keeping the motor running, add the vegetable oil very, very slowly until you have a thick, emulsified sauce. Taste and adjust the seasonings adding more Chipotle Chile and salt if needed. Refrigerate until ready to use.

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