Aioli
This thick, mayonnaise like sauce is not for the faint-hearted. It is
often served in the south of France as an accompaniment for what is
called a grand aioli, a mammoth meal consisting of soaked and poached
salt cod, snails and boiled eggs and sometimes shrimp, mussels, and
other shellfish, along with a vast assortment of steamed vegetables. It
is also an essential part of a bourride, a terrific fish stew usually
made with monkfish or other firm white fish. I think it is also
delicious with cold roast meats, while a spoonful or two in a baked
potato is truly wonderful. One word of warning: everyone at the table
has to indulge since this sauce is cooking with garlic personified and
would probably overwhelm any nonparticipant.
Makes about 2 cups
6 to 8 medium size to large cloves garlic, mashed to a paste in a
mortar with a pestle and a little salt or very finely minced
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons boiling water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 ½ cups olive oil
Place the garlic and egg yolks in a
blender. Blend in short bursts until smooth. Turn the blender on again
and add the boiling water in a thin stream.
Season with salt and pepper and add the
lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Turn the blender on and add the oil in
a very thin stream, just a little at the beginning, a litter faster as
the sauce begins to thicken. The garlic sauce should become thick and
fluffy like mayonnaise.
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Set the aioli aside for an hour to let the flavor develop. Serve this
simple garlic cooking recipes at room temperature.
Note:
The traditional method for making aioli
calls for beating the sauce in a mortar, with the water added a little
at a time, along with the lemon juice, after about one third of the oil
has been incorporated. Here I have used the blender, which generally
keeps the sauce from separating, and I have incorporated hot water,
which should raise the temperature of the egg yolks high enough to
eliminate the risk of salmonella. Some recipes call for adding a little
mashed potato at the end, making a thicker garlic sauce and probably holding
it in emulsion, but I prefer it this way.
Tips:
If the sauce separates, it can usually be
reconstituted by beating 1 large egg yolk and 1 teaspoon lemon juice
together in a clean bowl and then beating the separated sauce in to the
egg, a little bit at a time, until it is thick and fluffy again.
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