Aioli

[tzakiel]

I tried to make Aioli recently and sure enough, it just came out like oil with garlic in it. I'm thinking it didn't emulsify. Here's the recipe I tried:

Aioli (Garlic Mayonnaise)


Notes:
A garlicky mayonnaise. Use on bread, sandwiches, veggies (asparagus works well) or fries.

Ingredients:

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and germ removed
• Sea salt (large grain)
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 egg yolk
  
  

Equipment:

• Food processor

Directions:

1. Place garlic cloves, salt and half the olive oil in the food processor. Process for a few seconds.
2. Add the yolk and mix well.
3. With the machine running, drizzle in the rest of the oil and process until smooth.

Keeps for two days in the fridge.

 

[mexican mama]

love some aioli dip for a crispy calamari

 

[Laury]

I tried to make Aioli recently and sure enough, it just came out like oil with garlic in it. I'm thinking it didn't emulsify. Here's the recipe I tried:

Aioli (Garlic Mayonnaise)


Notes:
A garlicky mayonnaise. Use on bread, sandwiches, veggies (asparagus works well) or fries.

Ingredients:

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and germ removed
• Sea salt (large grain)
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 egg yolk
  
  

Equipment:

• Food processor

Directions:

1. Place garlic cloves, salt and half the olive oil in the food processor. Process for a few seconds.
2. Add the yolk and mix well.
3. With the machine running, drizzle in the rest of the oil and process until smooth.

Keeps for two days in the fridge.

I think that the yolk, garlic and salt should be processed first and then ALL the oil added slowly for a good emulsion. Try my recipe a few posts back. It always works for me.

 

[Wyogal]

Or use a blender. I make a quick hollandaise in the blender, works every time.
I would think that one would whisk the yolks and garlic, then add the olive oil slowly, at first, and once it starts the emulsification process one can add the oil a little more quickly.
It's not hard, one just needs to pay attention to the details.

 

[tzakiel]

@Laury - I did try it. And it works well. Thanks for that.

So, the moral of the story is... don't add the oil too quickly.

 

[Laury]

Great! Thanks for letting me know. It's never failed for me. I'd love to know what you used it on/with and how you liked it.

 

[tzakiel]

I made asparagus like this:

Preheat the oven broiler. Place raw asparagus that has been washed and the woody ends removed on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and toss the spears to coat lightly with the oil. Place under hot broiler. Watch for signs of wilting but do not allow to overcook. Remove and toss with a dash of lemon juice.

I put the aoili (slightly warmed) on the spears, just before serving. Good combo!

Edit: by the way, the recipe I posted above for aioli (the one that came out like oil with garlic and curdled egg) was from anthony bourdain's les halles cookbook. I guess he must be aware of something I am not. OR maybe I just wasn't doing it right (I used a cold egg)

 

[Laury]

I have that cookbook and you're right. Surprising that Bourdain wrote the recipe that way as he discusses proper emulsifying in other recipes. You could still use the recipe but prepare it with the order of ingredients you just used successfully. Add the oil last and slowly. Your asparagus sounds delicious. Aioli is so wonderful and goes so beautifully with many things.

 

[Mark Webster]

Anytime you want to emulsify a liquid. You always need to add the oil in a slow steady stream. If you add the oil to quickly it won't hold, and will break down.

 

[tzakiel]

Julia says in her mastering book that the garlic in aioli gets a raw and bitter taste if you use a blender. Her method suggests you should hand mash the garlic with a slice of white bread soaked in vinegar or milk, and then add the yolk, and then the oil beaten in slowly by hand.

Has anyone noticed this or tried it by hand to see the difference?

 

[Wyogal]

Depending on how one prepares the garlic, one can get different flavor profiles to emerge. Slicing, mincing, smashing, they all get slightly different results.