Many of us like the idea of tofu better than the reality, and few of us know how to cook with it. Chef Deborah Madison's This Can't Be Tofu addresses such qualms, offering 75 recipes for this healthful (high in protein and low in salt, fat, and calories) food. Madison knows that tofu can be delicious, and provides recipes for a wide range of dishes that glorify its fresh milky taste and yielding texture--or that use it to make other foods (like mayonnaise) better for us.
Here's an all-tofu mayonnaise, but your family may never suspect, especially if you add a tablespoon or more of prepared mayonnaise a good idea if you're nervous about it. This will keep, refrigerated, for up to five days.
Makes: about 1 cup
6 ounces soft tofu, well drained, or 1/2 box silken tofu
2 tablespoons prepared mayonnaise (optional)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 small garlic clove
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or vinegar (red or white wine)
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Put the tofu in a food processor with the mayonnaise, if using, and oil. Puree until smooth. Scrape down the sides.
Add the garlic, mustard, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and puree until smooth. Taste for salt and season with a little pepper. Scrape into a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
Mustard Mayonnaise Increase the mustard to 4 to 5 teaspoons, or to taste.
Garlic Mayonnaise Coarsely chop 4 to 6 cloves unblemished garlic. Pound in a mortar with 1/2 teaspoon salt until the garlic breaks down to a smooth puree, then stir it into the mayonnaise.
Saffron Mayonnaise In a small mortar, grind 2 pinches saffron then cover with 1 tablespoon boiling water. Let steep several then stir it into the mayonnaise.
Pepper Mayonnaise Puree 1/2 cup roasted peppers until smooth with 1 garlic clove and a pinch of cayenne and add it to the mayonnaise.
Mayonnaise with Capers and Fines Herbes Stir into the mayonnaise 2 tablespoons rinsed capers, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons each chopped tarragon and snipped chives.
Chlpotle Mayonnaise Add 1 teaspoon pureed chipotle in adobo sauce into the mayonnaise. Taste and add more if you prefer it hotter. In place of lemon in the mayonnaise, use fresh lime juice.
