Lightening Mayonnaise

Making mayonnaise with a sabayon results in a lighter, airier sauce. A sabayon is made by whisking egg yolks with a small amount of liquid (about 1 tablespoon/15 milliliters per yolk) over a carefully controlled heat source. The technique is the same as that used for preparing hot emulsified sauces such as béarnaise and hollandaise. This method causes the egg yolks, water, and air to emulsify; the resulting mayonnaise is then technically a foam, since the emulsion contains air. Conveniently, heating the egg yolks also kills any salmonella bacteria.