– Want to learn how to make aioli? You’re in the right place! –
“What’s that?” She asked, nose scrunched and pointing to the menu. “Ayeoooollleeeeeooo?”
He leaned over his own menu, squinting his eyes to see the fine, swirling text to the left of where her finger was pointing. “Oh, it’s pronounced ay-oh-lee. It’s essentially French mayonnaise.”
“Huh, ok.” She paused for a second, a faint question mark lingering over her furrowed brow. “So then why don’t they just call it mayonnaise?”
He sighed and put down his menu, smiling patiently. “Well, mayonnaise is historically one of the French master sauces, but for us here in the states, it generally only contains a few basic ingredients, like vegetable oil, egg, water, and vinegar. Aioli is a little different. It has a few additional flavorants, garlic and lemon juice. In fact, the name aioli comes from the Provençal word alh, meaning garlic, and òli, meaning oil. Sometimes it’s made with olive oil instead of vegetable oil.”
“Well, then they should just call it garlic mayonnaise.”
He sighed and picked up his menu again, patience fading. “Yes, dear.”
She continued, ignoring the brush off. “I mean, it says here that it’s on a plate of veggies, spread on crostinis, alongside the fish of the day, and on every one of their sandwiches. Sure sounds like mayonnaise to me. I don’t understand why the French always have to be so difficult.”
A harried-looking server appeared at the table, pen and order pad at the ready. Her words came out in a rush: “Howisyourdaygoing? MayItakeyourorderplease?” She tossed an expecting gaze at the lady of the table, who was still ruminating over her lunch options.
“Sure, I’ll take the chicken and arugula wrap, but instead of the aiiiooollleeeoo can I get mayonnaise?”
The server continued her gaze, save for a barely perceptible shift of the eyebrows. Her speech slowed to a crawl, dusted with a subtle undertone that caused the man of the table to smirk behind his menu. “Um, I suppose that would be possible,” she drawled. “But I will have to check with the chef.”
The server took the rest of the order, him ordering a pair of seared pork belly sliders with a Zinfandel barbecue sauce, and rushed away to the kitchen, leaving the man and woman alone at table. She gazed out the window and quietly murmured to herself, “eeeeooollleeeooooo.”
Learning how to make aioli is easy; it’s just like making mayonnaise, with a few minor adjustments. Once you’ve got this skill down, you’ll be surprised how easily you can spruce up a simple sandwich, salad, or fish dish.
Easy Tutorial! Learn How to Make Aioli in 5 Minutes.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup olive oil (use the good stuff here, you’ll appreciate it in the long run)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
Instructions
- Combine vegetable oil and olive oil in a measuring cup with an easily pourable spout.
- Combine the egg yolk, water, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic in a large bowl. Whisk until they are well combined and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk again for another minute.
- While whisking the egg and flavorants, add a few drops of oil to get the emulsion setup. Add a few more drops, and then a few more, all the while keep beating. Once you’ve got a good emulsion going, slowly drizzle in the remaining oil while whisking constantly. The finished product should be thick enough to cling to your tasting spoon.
- Homemade mayonnaise keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge. Store for up to a week.
Nutrition
If you like learning how to make aioli, check out these other recipes:
- Is Aioli the Greatest Sauce Recipe Ever?
- Two Vegan Mayonnaise Recipes
- Salmon Burgers With Chipotle Aioli and Pineapple-Avocado Salsa
This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.