Sunshine State Aioli

Our Nicky

The 120 toasted buns on which my son, grandson and I served home cured Canadian back bacon (see earlier posts) at the Sunshine State Eggfest were spread on one half with aioli and the other half with home made hot sauce (see future post)

Here is the recipe for the aioli.

Aioli is simply garlic mayonnaise to which you can add different seasonings if you choose. I make my own mayonnaise.

You will need:

2 large eggs, or egg yolks if you don't have an immersion blender
juice of half a lemon and juice of half a lime (the lime is my preference, you can use lemon alone)
3 - 4 medium cloves of garlic
Coarse salt
3/4 cup EVOO (other oil also works)

I have an old Bamix immersion blender I bought at a food show years ago with interchangeable whisk heads that allows me to emulsify eggs without separating the yolks. Most recipes for mayonnaise call for just the egg yolks.

If you use an immersion blender you will also need a tall beaker. My Bamix and another old fixed head one that I have both came with containers that are about three to four inches in diameter and about eight or nine inches tall. The mixing process for immersion blenders works best in tall thinner containers like these. Otherwise use a medium bowl and a whisk

Two criticial steps - all the ingredients must be at room temperature and the tools you use must be perfectly dry. Get the eggs and anything else that is refrigerated out of the fridge a couple of hours before you need them. You can bring eggs to room temperature more quickly by placing in a bowl of warm water.

People ask me about using raw eggs and the risk of salmonella poisoning. I have used raw eggs all my life and - well I'm still here and to my knowledge have never suffered adverse effects from consuming raw eggs. My reading is that the risk of salmonella poisoning from eating raw eggs exists but it is remote. If you have concerns, coddle the eggs in ramekins or similar small bowls in a pan containing a couple of inches of boiling water. Take the eggs out as soon as the whites start to coagulate. You can then separate the yolks if you need to.

If you use an immersion blender grate the garlic into the eggs with a microplane grater, season with a generous pinch of coarse salt, add the lemon/lime juice to the eggs and blend until throughly mixed and the eggs have a bright lemon yellow colour.

If you are using a whisk, separate the yolks, grate the garlic into the eggs with a microplane grater, season with a generous pinch of coarse salt, add the lemon/lime juice to the yolks and whisk.

If you use an immersion blender add the oil in a thin steady stream with the blender going continuously. You may need to rest your pouring hand on the beaker to stop it from spinning around as the mixture thickens and becomes more viscous. The mixture will continue to thicken as you add the rest of the oil.

If you are using a whisk add the oil a few drops at a time at first until the eggs and oil start to emilsify and then add in a thin steady stream whisking steadily all the time. The mixture will thicken and it will get harder to whisk and you may decide to go out and buy and immersion blender.

I find aioli better for keeping a day or overnight in a refrigerator. I read varying reports on how long to keep it. I have kept it for more than a week with no ill effects. I think it may be a function of the quantity of lemon juice you use and the consequent degree of acidity.

If by chance your aioli (or just mayonnaise if you don't add the garlic) curdles, you can resurrect it by starting with a new egg yolk in a new, dry container(or whole egg if you are using an immersion blender) and add the curdled mixture a drop at a time until the mixture starts to emulsify once again and in a steady stream thereafter whisking steadly all the time if you are whisking by hand or pour pour in a continuous steady thin stream from the outset if using an immersion blender. As you will have added another egg yolk also add another scant half a cup of oil or it will be too 'eggy'.

Having made the aioli you can add a few drops of tabasco, a generous pinch of cayenne, a tbs of tarragon vinegar, a tsp of chopped basil, grated hard cheese etc etc. It's like a blank canvas waiting for you to paint it with your favourite flavours.