Aioli Or Garlic Sauce

Aioli Or Garlic Sauce

Aioli is often called the "butter of Provence." In an area where butter is little used, and olive and walnut oils predominate, this fabulous and stinging, stiff emulsion sauce reigns supreme. Started off in a large pestle and mortar, it is then finished in a food processor. Make lots: it is infinitely versatile.

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I like to serve this with crab cakes. I have seen it served with pasta and vegetables. It would do well with any food one might use butter but substitute instead the Aioli.

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Ingredients:

1 teaspoon sea salt

8-12 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise

1 slice white bread, wetted and squeezed dry

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

2 cups extra virgin olive oil at room temperature

freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon

about 1 teaspoon boiling water

baby vegetables such as sweet bell peppers, radishes, fennel, and celery, and hard-cooked eggs, to serve.

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Directions:

Put the salt in a large mortar. Check the garlic and discard any green sprouts. Chop or roughly crush the garlic and add to the mortar. Pound the salt and garlic to a sticky paste with pestle. Add the softened bread and pound to amalgamate. Now add the yolks and continue pounding to get a thick, golden paste. Transfer this to a food processor.

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With the machine running, drizzle in about half of the olive oil in a steady stream until the mix has stiffened. Add the lemon juice and continue processing until all of the oil has been added and the aioli is dense and gelatinous, and glossy. Finally add the boiling water to stabilize the emulsion. Serve with a selection of crudites and halves of boiled eggs; use in soups and stews, spread on toast. Serves 4-8

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Note: If time is short, put the salt, garlic, bread, and egg yolks into a food processor and whizz together. Drizzle the oil as described above. This gives a lighter, less pungent aioli.

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Wine Pairing: Fino Sherry, a dry unwooded white, red or rose wine, or a Grenache.