Mayo - by Abra Berens (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author and chef Abra Berens comes a playful celebration of the world's most versatile and contentious condiment, featuring 100+ creative recipes that prove everything is better with mayo.

Mayonnaise is magic. A simple combination of eggs and oil, mayo somehow transforms almost everything it touches: creating crispier crusts, richer cakes, creamier soups, better sandwiches, flavorful dressings, and juicier proteins.

In these pages, beloved cookbook author Abra Berens has infused her lifelong obsession with mayo into the ultimate celebration of this everyday kitchen hero. With more than 100 inventive recipes, Mayo shows how one humble jar can unlock endless possibilities--from quick weeknight dinners and vegetable dishes to impressive desserts, dips, dressings, and more.

Inside, discover shortcuts, go-to ideas, and clever uses, including:

• More than 20 flavored aiolis and mayonnaises, including Preserved Lemon, Caramelized Onion, Pesto, Hot Sauce, and Roasted Corn
• Shake-and-Bake Eggplant Three Ways
• The Ultimate Spicy Tomato Soup with Double Grilled Cheese
• Sheet Pan Salmon with Gnocchi, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, and Dill
• Caramelized Sweet Potatoes with Burnt Clementine, Burst Tomatoes, and Pesto Mayo
• Carrot Snacking Cake with Mascarpone Frosting
• And much more!

Whether you're loyal to your favorite jar, making mayo from scratch, or still waiting to be convinced, this deliciously fun cookbook reveals why mayo is the secret ingredient cooks should reach for again and again.

Complete with a mayo personality quiz (find out if you're a Hellman's/Best Foods, Kewpie, or Sir Kensington's person!), gorgeous photography, and Abra's smart, approachable cooking wisdom, Mayo is a love letter to the condiment that deserves a permanent place in every kitchen.

• THE ULTIMATE MAYO COOKBOOK: Discover 100+ creative recipes celebrating mayo as the hardworking secret ingredient that makes everything from vegetables and sandwiches to cakes and sauces even better.
• ONE INGREDIENT, ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES: Learn how to use mayo to make your chicken crispier, salad dressings more flavorful, and chocolate cakes richer. These recipes celebrate the versatility of mayo as a sauce, a marinade, a soup thickener, a dip, and so much more.
• FROM AN AWARD-WINNING CHEF: From Abra Berens, the acclaimed author of Ruffage, Grist, and Pulp, this is a clever and deeply cookable exploration of an everyday ingredient with extraordinary potential.
• FOR MAYO LOVERS & MAYO SKEPTICS ALIKE: Packed with surprising techniques, a mayo personality quiz, homemade and store-bought options, and recipes designed to delight devoted fans--and maybe even convert the doubters.
• PERFECT GIFT FOR FOOD LOVERS: A witty and unexpected cookbook for adventurous home cooks, condiment collectors, sandwich enthusiasts, bakers, vegetable lovers, and anyone who appreciates joyful, creative cooking.

About the Author

Abra Berens is a chef and author based in Michigan, and is a two-time James Beard Semifinalist for Best Chef, Great Lakes. Her cookbooks include Ruffage, which was a 2020 Michigan Notable Book winner and James Beard Award nominee; Grist, which was shortlisted for the 2022 Art of Eating Prize and named an Essential Cookbook by The New Yorker; and Pulp, named a 2023 Best Cookbook of the Year by Epicurious, Vice, Library Journal, and more. Today, she is the owner and headmaster at Everyday Cooking School in Traverse City, MI, as well as the Culinary Director at Large at Granor Farm in Three Oaks, Michigan.