Mess Around in the Kitchen This Month with These Fun Ideas
You see it on menus and on sandwiches. It's aioli, and you know it looks like mayonnaise, but if it were mayo they'd call it mayo. It's delicious, spreadable, dippable and seems like it would make a great homemade ranch dressing. This is a good place to start messing around in the kitchen this November!
But it's not mayonnaise. So what is the difference between mayonnaise and aioli?
Mayonnaise, loosely defined, is an emulsion of neutral-flavored oil like canola, egg yolk, vinegar and/or lemon juice and sometimes a dash of powdered mustard to bring out the flavor and help the emulsion stay together.
Aioli, on the other hand, hails from the southern French region of Provence, and begins not in a blender but with a mortar and pestle and several cloves of garlic.
When the garlic is pounded to a paste, it's whisked into the traditional preparation of egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard and olive oil instead of canola (which adds olive oil's fruity aroma into the mix).
Aioli is typically served as a dip for vegetable crudité, boiled eggs and shellfish, while mayonnaise is more widely employed in a variety of ways. But now that you know all about aioli, it might be hard to go back to Hellman's (or Best Foods here in the west).
But basically (and I’m a pretty basic cook), it’s the same thing, except there’s no mooshed garlic in my mayonnaise. Since the holidays are pretty much on our doorstep, though, I thought you’d like a good recipe for aioli—in case you’re interested in going beyond basic.
2 cloves garlic
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon style mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons safflower oil
Directions:
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Same idea using finely chopped ham. Now you have a ham spread that takes a turkey sandwich to a whole new level (or egg salad sandwich, for that matter). I’ve applied the same approach to a tuna sandwich by finely mincing a dill pickle and adding it to the mayonnaise. I used to add chopped pickle to the tuna and then mixed in the mayo. But mixing well minced pickle into the mayo changes the overall taste somehow.
November is a great time to mess around in the kitchen, giving new recipes or cooking approaches a try. See if you don’t enjoy making your own aioli or jazzing up your mayo a little!
But it's not mayonnaise. So what is the difference between mayonnaise and aioli?
Mayonnaise, loosely defined, is an emulsion of neutral-flavored oil like canola, egg yolk, vinegar and/or lemon juice and sometimes a dash of powdered mustard to bring out the flavor and help the emulsion stay together.
Aioli, on the other hand, hails from the southern French region of Provence, and begins not in a blender but with a mortar and pestle and several cloves of garlic.
When the garlic is pounded to a paste, it's whisked into the traditional preparation of egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard and olive oil instead of canola (which adds olive oil's fruity aroma into the mix).
Aioli is typically served as a dip for vegetable crudité, boiled eggs and shellfish, while mayonnaise is more widely employed in a variety of ways. But now that you know all about aioli, it might be hard to go back to Hellman's (or Best Foods here in the west).
But basically (and I’m a pretty basic cook), it’s the same thing, except there’s no mooshed garlic in my mayonnaise. Since the holidays are pretty much on our doorstep, though, I thought you’d like a good recipe for aioli—in case you’re interested in going beyond basic.
BEST Aioli
Yield: 1/2 cup
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon style mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons safflower oil
Directions:
Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt using a large heavy knife. Whisk together yolk, lemon juice, and mustard in a bowl. Combine oils and add, a few drops at a time, to yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until all oil is incorporated and mixture is emulsified. (If mixture separates, stop adding oil and continue whisking until mixture comes together, then resume adding oil.)
Whisk in garlic paste and season with salt and pepper. If aïoli is too thick, whisk in 1 or 2 drops of water. Chill, covered, until ready to use.
Whisk in garlic paste and season with salt and pepper. If aïoli is too thick, whisk in 1 or 2 drops of water. Chill, covered, until ready to use.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Same idea using finely chopped ham. Now you have a ham spread that takes a turkey sandwich to a whole new level (or egg salad sandwich, for that matter). I’ve applied the same approach to a tuna sandwich by finely mincing a dill pickle and adding it to the mayonnaise. I used to add chopped pickle to the tuna and then mixed in the mayo. But mixing well minced pickle into the mayo changes the overall taste somehow.
November is a great time to mess around in the kitchen, giving new recipes or cooking approaches a try. See if you don’t enjoy making your own aioli or jazzing up your mayo a little!
Sources:
- www.lifesambrosia.com
- www.seriouseats.com
- www.saucefanatic.com
- www.bonappetit.com
- www.momables.com
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
