Garlic Aioli
Garlic aioli is a stable emulsion of garlic, salt, and oil, held together by the proteins in an egg yolk. You build it by crushing garlic into a paste, whisking it with the yolk and acid, then dripping oil in drop by drop until the sauce thickens into a pale, glossy cream.
Temperature and patience are your only tools.
If your oil and egg are at drastically different temperatures, the emulsion will break. Add the oil slower than you think you need to.
- Heavy mortar and pestle or chef's knife
- Small stainless steel bowl
- Balloon whisk
What goes in.
- 3 largegarlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 tspkosher salt
- 1large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 tspfresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cupneutral oil, such as grapeseed or light olive oil
Patience with the stream
The first quarter-cup of oil must be added mere droplets at a time. Once the mixture turns opaque and holds its shape, you can increase to a thin, steady thread.
The method.
Make the garlic paste
Smash the garlic cloves with the flat of your knife, sprinkle with the salt, and scrape the knife back and forth until the garlic turns into a smooth, wet paste.
Combine the base
Whisk the garlic paste, egg yolk, and lemon juice in your bowl until the mixture is uniform.
Add the first oil
Begin adding oil one drop at a time, whisking constantly. Do not add more until the previous drop has fully disappeared into the yolk.
Finish the emulsion
Once the mixture thickens into a heavy cream, pour the remaining oil in a very thin, slow stream while whisking vigorously. Stop when all oil is incorporated and the aioli stands up on the whisk.
Other turns to take.
Lemon-Herb
Fold in a tablespoon of finely minced chives, parsley, and a pinch of lemon zest at the very end.
Roasted Garlic
Substitute raw garlic for half a head of roasted garlic cloves, mashed into a smooth pulp.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If the sauce separates and looks oily, stop. Take a fresh egg yolk in a clean bowl and slowly whisk the broken sauce into the new yolk as if it were the oil.
Use a damp kitchen towel tucked under your bowl to keep it from sliding across the counter while you whisk.
The aioli will firm up in the refrigerator; let it sit at room temperature for ten minutes before serving.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use a food processor?
You can, but it is easy to over-process. Use the pulse setting and stop the moment the oil is fully integrated to prevent the friction from heating the sauce and breaking the emulsion.
How long does it keep?
Keep it in a sealed jar in the coldest part of your refrigerator for up to three days.
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