3 Clove Aioli tastes unlike any mayonnaise you can buy in a store because true mayonnaise is made from oil and a raw egg yolk, and packagers are hesitant to use raw eggs in commercial products.
INGREDIENTS:
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 best-available egg yolk* at room temperature + one extra egg as back-up
1⁄4 cup neutral vegetable oil + extra as back-up
1⁄4 cup olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
Zest of 1 Meyer lemon, or a conventional lemon + 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
DIRECTIONS:
Food processor method
Add the garlic, egg yolk and salt to a mini food processor or blender. Purée for 30 seconds.
With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil, starting with a few drops at a time. After the first few tablespoons of oil have been incorporated, increase the oil flow slightly, and drizzle until all the oil is incorporated and the sauce is thick like mayonnaise. Add zest, lemon juice and Dijon. Pulse a few times, then add a tablespoon or two of water to thin it out and pulse a few more times. (Aioli will thicken more when it chills.) Taste for salt and acid balance, and adjust if desired.
Cover and refrigerate.
Whisk method
This is best done as a two-person project. One person whisks as the other one drizzles.
Add garlic, egg yolk and salt to a large bowl. Whisk the ingredients together for 30 seconds.
While whisking, slowly drizzle in the oil, starting with a few drops at a time. After the first few tablespoons of oil have been incorporated, increase the oil flow slightly, and drizzle until all the oil is incorporated and the sauce is thick like mayonnaise. It will take a few minutes of strenuous whisking. Add zest, lemon juice and Dijon. Continue whisking to incorporate, then add a tablespoon or two of water to thin out and whisk a bit more. (Aioli will thicken more when it chills). Taste for salt and acid balance, and adjust if desired.
Cover and refrigerate.
What to do if your aioli “breaks”
As you incorporate the oil into the yolk, the sauce is supposed to thicken. If the thickening sauce suddenly breaks, resulting in a runny liquid, it’s time to pause and regroup. Start by removing the broken liquid from the blender or bowl and reserve it. Add your back-up egg yolk to the empty blender or bowl. With the motor running or the whisk whisking, drizzle in the broken
liquid a few drops at a time, as you were originally doing with the oil. When you have incorporated all the broken liquid, slowly drizzle in the remaining oil and an additional 1⁄4 cup (to compensate for the extra yolk). Continue with the recipe.
*Raw eggs should not be served to young children, older adults, or anyone with a compromised immune system.
