You've Got to Be Yolking! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is easy to make with a food processor or blender, and the homemade version tastes far superior to anything you can purchase! It is delicious used directly as a dressing for cold vegetables or meat, and can be dressed up by the addition of other ingredients: adding roasted garlic to the eggs (and, optionally, some prepared mustard at the end) will produce aioli; adding chopped pickles, capers, shallots and parsley at the end will give you a tartar sauce. Many more creative variations are possible, including the use of lime, orange or a tasty vinegar instead of the lemon juice!

Mayonnaise recipe:
Mix 2 egg yolks and 2 - 3 teaspoons of lemon juice in a blender along with a pinch of salt and blend until it just starts to thicken. With the motor running, slowly add 200ml of oil (olive oil is traditional) to the mixture, occasionally stopping to scrape down the sides. When the oil is added, and you have a lovely, thick, creamy mixture; taste and add salt, lemon and pepper as desired. If you are not using it immediately, cover with plastic to prevent the formation of a skin and refrigerate for up to a week.

Answer: Hollandaise sauce

Like mayonnaise, Hollandaise sauce is not only delicious in its own right (broccoli simply isn't the same without it!), it can also be the base for other delicious sauces. Using a microwave, preparation is much simpler and less likely to separate than using traditional preparation methods. (But practice a couple of times before that big dinner party to be sure you are familiar with the way it works in your microwave oven - they vary dramatically.) To make Bearnaise sauce, use vinegar instead of some or all of the lemon juice, and add shallots, fresh chervil, fresh tarragon and crushed peppercorns at the end. For Sauce Dijon, add some Dijon mustard at the end.

Hollandaise recipe:
Place 175 g butter (cut into cubes) in a microwave cooking container and heat until it is just melted. Use a fork or whisk to stir briskly as you add 3 egg yolks then 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Heat in the microwave, on medium heat, until it thickens. Add salt and pepper (traditionally white pepper) to taste.

Answer: Duchess potatoes

The other three delicious potato dishes use sliced, rather than mashed, potatoes. For variety, you can add extra flavorings to the mashed potato: chives, cheese, finely chopped chillies, grated onion, or whatever takes your fancy.

Duchess potatoes recipe:
Boil 750 g of a good mashing potato, peeled and roughly chopped, until very tender. Drain, then return to heat for a minute or so, shaking the pan, to remove excess moisture. Mash the potato, then add 2-3 tablespoons of butter and 2 egg yolks, mixing thoroughly. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Use a piping bag to form rosettes on a buttered baking tray. Cook in a preheated 200 C oven until golden brown on top.

Answer: anchovy

While milk can be thickened using commercial powders that include starch, a true custard is thickened with egg. The thickness of the resulting mixture depends on the ratio of egg to milk used. Dessert custards are usually sweet; a savory custard can be cooked in a pie shell (with other ingredients) to produce a quiche.

Custard sauce recipe:
Heat 500 ml milk to just under boiling point and remove from heat. Whisk 4 egg yolks and 1/2 cup fine sugar in a bowl. Gradually stir in the warm milk while whisking. Place in a clean pan, and heat gently until the custard coats the back of the stirring spoon. Add brandy, rum, or vanilla essence to taste.

Answer: Creme brulee

Creme brulee is prepared by making baked custard, usually in an individual ramekin, and covering the top with sugar. The sugar is caramelized by placing the ramekins under a griller for a few minutes, or (more spectacularly) by using a small blow torch.

Creme brulee recipe:
Heat 600 ml thickened cream with a split vanilla bean (scrape the seeds into the milk) to just below boiling, then let it stand off heat for 5 minutes to infuse the flavor. Beat 6 egg yolks and 1/4 cup fine sugar until smooth and pale. Slowly add the milk (remove the vanilla pod!) while whisking. Remove any foam, and strain the mixture into 4 ramekins. Place ramekins in a baking dish deep enough so that you can add water to cover at least half the depth of the ramekins. Cover the dish loosely with foil, and bake in an oven preheated to 120 C for 40-50 minutes. Allow custard to cool. (This can be in a refrigerator overnight, leaving only the final step to be completed before serving.) About 1/2 cup brown sugar needs to be dried and powdered for the topping. Immediately before serving, cover the tops of the ramekins with the powdered brown sugar. Place under a grill for a minute or two - just long enough for the sugar to caramelize.

Answer: ice cream

Yes, it's ice cream. Homemade ice cream can be produced using a food processor and freezer if you don't have a traditional ice cream maker. Because you can adjust the flavorings to taste, you can make all kinds of lovely treats to suit your personal palate!

Vanilla ice cream recipe:
Scrape the seeds from 2 pods of vanilla into 5 egg yolks and 3/4 cup fine sugar in a double boiler (a bowl resting above a pan of boiling water that doesn't quite touch the bottom of the bowl). Heat for about 5 minutes while beating with an electric beater to produce a thick pale mixture. Add 125 ml thickened cream and beat for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Whip another 475 ml of thickened cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold the cream into the egg yolk mixture. Place the mixture in an airtight container (ideally, one just slightly larger than the mixture) and freeze until nearly set, usually about 5-6 hours. Transfer to a food processor and process until smooth. Return to container and re-freeze for 6 to 8 hours.

Other flavors are easily produced by adding melted chocolate to the eggs, using coffee to replace some of the cream (or adding an extra egg yolk to thicken the extra volume if you just add coffee to the mix), folding in fruit pulp before freezing, etc.

Answer: semifreddo

'Semifreddo' is Italian for 'half cold' - the extra cream means the mixture doesn't set as firmly as traditional ice cream. It can be frozen in individual serving dishes, or frozen in a large rectangular dish and sliced to serve.

Mango and macadamia semifreddo recipe:
Lightly toast 1/2 cup macadamia nuts in a dry pan for about 5 minutes until nicely browned, then chop coarsely. Peel 2-3 mangoes (number depends on size - you want about two cups of pulp), remove stone and puree. Heat 600 ml thickened cream to simmering, and remove from heat. In a large bowl, beat 4 egg yolks and 1/3 cup fine sugar until thick and pale. Slowly add the heated cream, whisking. Heat the mixture for 5-10 minutes over low heat, until the mixture coats the back of the stirring spoon. Add mango puree and blend. Stir the macadamias through. Pour mixture into a loaf pan that has been lined with plastic wrap. Freeze 4-6 hours until set. Turn the semifreddo out of the pan, slice and serve immediately.

Answer: zabaglione

Zabaglione is traditionally made with the fortified Italian wine marsala, but port, sherry or madeira can be substituted. It can be served hot or cold, but should always be prepared immediately before serving. It can be accompanied by fruit and biscotti (almond flavored biscuits) or sponge fingers, or poured over cake or ice cream.

Zabaglione recipe:
Beat 2 egg yolks and 1 tablespoon fine sugar in the top of a double boiler (not in place yet!) until thick and foamy. Beat in the wine. Place over gently boiling water and whisk constantly 4-5 minutes until it forms a thick creamy foam that coats the back of the spoon. Serve immediately. (If you want to serve it cool, remove from heat and keep beating until it has cooled.)

Answer: corn meal

Polenta is the Italian word for ground yellow or white corn (maize). More familiarly prepared by cooking with water, polenta can be added to dough for texture and flavor.

Orange polenta biscuit recipe:
(This recipe was adapted from one for lemon polenta biscuits found on the internet, at taste.com.au.)
With an electric mixer, beat 200 g softened butter, 150 g fine sugar and the finely grated zest of two oranges until light and creamy. Add 4 egg yolks, one at a time, beating between additions. Mix 2 cups plain flour with 1 cup polenta; add to egg mixture and beat until combined. Knead the dough lightly in the bowl for a couple of minutes and form dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate half an hour or so, until dough is firm. Roll the dough on a floured surface to 5 mm thickness, and cut into 5 cm rounds. Place on greased or non-stick baking trays and bake at 200 C for 10-12 minutes until golden. Cool on racks. Store in an airtight container.

Answer: tiramisu

Tiramisu comes in many variants, but the outline above gives you the idea. Some recipes call for separating eggs, and using the beaten egg whites for a lighter consistency, but I need to use up my egg yolks, so I will not include egg whites.

Beat 500 g mascarpone, 2 egg yolks and 2 tablespoons fine sugar until peaks form. Place 400 ml strong espresso (cooled) in a flat dish with 50 ml of marsala (or other liqueur as available). Dip half of a 250 g packet of savoiardi biscuits (or lady fingers) into the coffee, and lay them on the base of the serving dishes (one large dish or 6 individual ones). Spread half the cheese mixture over the biscuits. Repeat using the rest of the biscuits and cheese mixture. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Before serving, grate plenty of dark chocolate over the top.