Aioli is a French dip made with garlic, egg, lemon, and olive oil. It can be made with other ingredients and is served with meat, fish, and vegetables. Making aioli requires precision and patience, and it should be kept at room temperature. Leftovers should be refrigerated and not left at room temperature.
Aioli is a French dip made by blending lemon, egg, garlic, and olive oil into a smooth, creamy mayonnaise-like concoction. It originates from Provençal cuisine, where it is served with meat, fish and vegetables, and the signature garlic sauce has also been adopted by other nations to add zest to otherwise ordinary foods. Like mayonnaise, aioli can be made at home by a patient patient with a steady hand. Also, like mayonnaise, it involves working very precisely with delicate ingredients that can warp if mishandled.
Although classic aioli contain only garlic, many modern updates on the classic sauce include other ingredients. It can be made into a relish by adding pickled vegetables or spiced with peppers. Some Southwestern experimental cooks use a version of chipotle pepper in their cooking, while fish and chip aficionados may choose to eat them with a tartar sauce-like aioli.
To prepare traditional-style aioli, the cook begins by grinding garlic and salt together in a mortar and pestle. Several egg yolks are mixed in and the mixture is whisked together before the olive oil is added in a thin stream as the mixture is constantly whisked. As it begins to thicken and become creamy, lemon juice and water are slowly added and followed by more olive oil to create a thick, creamy sauce.
The two most important things to keep in mind when making Aioli are temperature and speed. All ingredients should be at room temperature to avoid curdling, as slight variations can promote separation. Also, the sauce needs to be processed at a smooth, even speed that’s not too fast but not too slow either. Usually, it takes several bouts of trial and error to make aioli a success, and cooks shouldn’t be discouraged by early failures.
If all aioli are not used, the rest should be refrigerated in a sealed container and will last for several days if kept fresh. Cooks should never try to save sauce that has been sitting at room temperature after it has been made. People who are concerned about foodborne pathogens in raw eggs can make a similar sauce by mixing olive oil in commercial mayonnaise, which is made from pasteurized egg products, with lemon juice. Cooks can also reduce their risks by using antibiotic-free eggs from a trusted source.
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