• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
My Big Fat Cuban Family

My Big Fat Cuban Family

Recipes · Blog · Shop

  • Meet Marta
    • Media Mentions
  • Lifestyle
    • Cuban-American Life
    • My Big, Fat, Cuban Family
  • Entertainment
    • Disney
    • Marvel
    • Television
    • Concerts
    • Books
    • Theatre
  • Celebrate
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Cuban Christmas
    • Mother’s Day
    • Movie Nights
    • Summer Nights
  • Recipes
    • Cuban Recipes With Pictures
    • Family Favorites
    • My Cook Book
  • Shop
    • Cuban Foods Poster
    • Cuban T-Shirts
    • Costa Rican Foods Poster
    • Honduran Foods Poster
    • Puerto Rican Foods Poster
    • Salvadoran Foods Poster
    • Scottish Foods Poster
    • Customize Your Own
    • Cuban Goodies In Your Mailbox
  • Contact
    • Advertise
  • Archives

The Quinceañera Story and A Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe

March 10, 2015 By Marta Darby 4 Comments

My mom just recently celebrated her 101st birthday. (It's still weird to say that.)

As people do when they get older, she repeats stories that she particularly likes or maybe it's that the memory gets fresher as time passes. Either way, as her birthday approached, she would tell the story of her 15th birthday. 

In Cuba, as in other spanish-language countries, the 15th birthday is a Big Deal. It's the quinceañera, people! 

For her 15th birthday, which she celebrated in 1929, she received a few gifts from her mother and great aunts. This day might have been lost down the memory hole, but for the other gift that she received that day, which was this photograph.

Luza 2007 1

Her gifts were that beautiful Spanish Comb in her hair and the mantilla she's wearing. She also remembers vividly one of her aunts making her a big jar of delicious homemade mayonnaise. 

This is the memory that stops her in her tracks. She gets this dreamy look on her face as she time travels back to the taste of The Best, Most Delicious Homemade Mayonnaise. It was made with olive oil and eggs and a squeeze of lemon and apparently it was to die for.

I've heard the Quinceañera and Mayonnaise story a million times. And as we were approaching her 101st birthday, I was at a loss for what to get her as a gift. I wanted it to be special. 

Wait. What if I made homemade mayonnaise?

Yes. Perfect.

I wanted to make it simple, but I wanted the flavor to be exquisite. It's a simple process, but it's also a science experiment that can quickly go wrong if the ingredients don't emulsify well. 

My-big-fat-cuban-family-homemade-mayonaisse-final

Luza's Homemade Mayonnaise

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 egg yolk (at room temperature – very important!)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (I went with a Meyer lemon for color and flavor)
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon mustard 
  • 1 cup olive oil (I used garlic infused avocado oil for a lighter flavor)
  • Salt to taste (I like kosher salt)
  • Container for the mayonnaise, preferably with a top, like a mason jar

My-big-fat-cuban-family-homemade-mayonaisse1

Directions

1) Place egg yolk, lemon juice, water, and mustard in jar.

My-big-fat-cuban-family-homemade-mayonaisse3

2) Slowly pour over olive oil and gently whisk together. I used a whisk at the beginning, but traded up to an immersion blender towards the end.

What you're looking for is for the emulsification which is a fancy word for "when it thickens up."

My-big-fat-cuban-family-homemade-mayonaisse4

3) Season with kosher salt to taste. Can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 weeks.

NOTE: It came out that dark yellow color because I used a Meyer lemon and organic egg yolks which tend to have more color. The taste was worth it.

Full disclosure: The unthinkable happened. It didn't emulsify on the first round.

I HAD BROKEN THE MAYONNAISE! I collapsed into a defeated mess. After all that careful choosing of the perfect ingredients and careful blending, I had failed. *sigh*

Thank goodness for Google, my self-esteem (and the mayonnaise) were not beyond repair.

Here's a tip: If your mayonnaise doesn't emulsify, get another clean bowl into which you add 2 room temperature egg yolks and a teaspoon of cold water. 

Now, add your broken mayonnaise to that and blend away. At this point I used the immersion blender because I was starting to feel a little superstitious, but that's not important right now.

Emulsifying-mayonnaise

Hallelujah! It worked!

My-big-fat-cuban-family-homemade-mayonaisse-jar

My mom loved it. She was thrilled that I remembered the story. (Which, of course, was easy, because she's told it a bizzillion times, but that's not important right now.)

The party was a great success as we celebrated her 101 years on this earth. She was surrounded by those she loves most and it was a super happy day.

Luza-is-101

Are you looking for a perfect gift for your 101 year old parent? May I suggest a jar of homemade mayonnaise? 

You might also like:

Cuban Cold Remedy: Homemade Cuban Chicken Soup (and VapoRub on your feet?) Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Recipe – Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe - Cuban-styleChicken Soup Recipe: Cuban-style Homemade Pastelitos de Guayaba – in 3 Acts.

Filed Under: Food and Drink, My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Tagged With: birthday, Cuba, Cuban recipe, Cuban recipe with pictures, egg yolks, emulsify, Homemade Mayonnaise, Luza, Meyer lemon, olive oil, organic eggs, quinceañera

Previous Post: « “That’s No Moon.”
Next Post: All the “feels” at Pixar – That’s Inside Out. »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. nancy vera says

    March 10, 2015 at 2:14 pm

    Much love to Luza and Felicidades!

    Reply
  2. Nathy says

    March 10, 2015 at 10:19 pm

    What a wonderful picture and memory, and thoughtful gift! Have you heard of the Save Family Photos instagram feed? I bet they’d love to feature her quince picture and a shortened version of the mayonnaise story.

    Reply
  3. Chris Loverseed says

    April 6, 2015 at 4:11 pm

    Loved this story! Great recipe too 🙂

    Reply
  4. Jill Xpo says

    January 11, 2016 at 11:01 pm

    how precious! She must have millions of stories. My 86 year old grandma is always telling stories, some are new and some are not that new. But it is ok, I love to hear her own mayonnaise stories.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

TRY SUPER SMOOTH CAFE LA LLAVE ESPRESSO

Cafe La Llave

My Cuban T-Shirt Designs

“Cuban T-Shirts

Subscribe to MBFCF Newsletter!

Never miss a post! Sign up with your email address to receive recipes, news and updates right in your inbox!

Cuban Foods Poster

“Cuba

Cuban Coffee Poster

“Cuba

Cuban Desserts Poster

“Cuba poster - Cuban desserts subway art print

Get Snacking On California Strawberries!

California Strawberries

Most Recent Posts

  • Best Places That Will Ship Cuban Food To Your Door
    December 15, 2020
  • My Big Fat Cuban Family Christmas Gift Guide 2020
    December 3, 2020
  • My Needs Are Simple: The Verizon CareSmart Watch
    December 3, 2020
  • The Quest for Authentic Chimichurri – Cocina Knows
    November 30, 2020
  • Hogwarts Halloween
    October 30, 2020

Cuban Recipes Cookbook

Cuban recipes with pictures cookbook from My Big Fat Cuban Family

Abuela Mami

Abuela Mami Gifts

Cuban Food Market

Cuban Food Market

Follow Me on Instagram

mybigfatcubanfamily

My Big Fat Cuban Family Blog
Check out➡️ the newest addition to my shop. ☺️They make the BEST Christmas presents! 🎄🎁🎉

https://etsy.me/2VVscre

9x12 Personalized, handmade maple or walnut cutting boards.🥳
10% off through Dec 10th with code: 
CUTTINGBOARD10
(How clever is that?😁)
[shop link in profile]
De aquí p’al cielo! 
🙌🏼❤️🇨🇺

#ohthecubanity #martadarbydesigns #cubanfood #cuttingboard
Our Cuban motto should be: “Colamos 24/7” 🇨 Our Cuban motto should be: “Colamos 24/7” 🇨🇺☕️ 
Am I right? ✌🏼😎

#mybigfatcubanfamily @cafelallave #thedrinkofmypeople🇨🇺☕️ @havanabamacafe
I’m super excited to share with you My Big Fat C I’m super excited to share with you My Big Fat Cuban Family Christmas Gift Guide 2020 🇨🇺🎁🎅🏻 featuring all my favorite Cuban online shops. 🛍 Take a look around and make me proud. 👀 
Shop Cuban! 🇨🇺🎄❤️
You are the heart and soul of our Cubanity. 🇨🇺❤️🇺🇸

https://bit.ly/3qvrq2q

All the guide links in my story on my blog. Follow the link☝🏼in my profile. 

@marthaofmiami_shop
@lovelovegoose
@cafelallave
@havana78soaps
@guavettes_wonderland
@_ofpalmandpine
@havanabamacafe 
@albisacandles
@cassava_bath_and_body
@habanabrandclothing 
@santayanajwlrs
@pinpanpunco
@theartroomandcrafts
@peroletmetellyou
@porkchop_prints
@becaletters
@jennizzle
@lovelovegoose
@mybigfatcubanfamily 

#CubanGiftGuide #CubanChristmas 
#ohthecubanity
I’m kind of in love with my Verizon #CareSmart W I’m kind of in love with my Verizon #CareSmart Watch.🥰
Even if it’s reminding me to take my meds. (Shut up. I know.)😉

I wrote about all the features I love on my blog today.🤩❤️

https://bit.ly/3ofSjVU

(Story link☝🏼in profile)
.
#VerizonPartner

Promo from now thru 12/31: $50 off w/ purchase of any other smartphone #ad https://omm.media/CareSmart
Follow Marta on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

Log in as an administrator and view the Instagram Feed settings page for more details.

Follow Marta On Social

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

FEATURED POSTS

  • Best Places That Will Ship Cuban Food To Your Door
    December 15, 2020
  • My Big Fat Cuban Family Christmas Gift Guide 2020
    December 3, 2020
  • It’s Cuban Christmas Crema De Vie Time!
    December 7, 2017
  • My Big Fat Cuban Cooking Playlist
    November 21, 2016
  • Crema de Vie (Cuban Egg Nog) Recipe
    July 27, 2016

Blog Archives

Footer

Meet Marta

Marta Verdes Darby is a Cuban-American food blogger in South Orange County.

Connect

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Sign Up For My Newsletter

March 2015
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
« Feb   Apr »

Copyright © 2021 my big fat cuban family