Traditional Aioli a Recipe for Garlic Mayonnaise from Provence

Made with olive oil and egg yolks, aioli (aïoli) is a popular sauce in the South of France. Susan Herrmann Loomis shares her recipe for this garlic mayonnaise below. This recipe comes from her cookbook French Grill: 125 Refined & Rustic Recipes, published in 2018. In addition to publishing 14 best-selling books, Susan Herrmann Loomis founded the Dancing Tomatoes website, where you can read more about this talented lady. Based in Paris, with 20 years of teaching experience, Loomis offers live cooking classes via video link and a collection of traditional six four-course menus in the Plat du Jour video archive.

Le Grand Aioli describes the main course where the aioli sauce complements a selection of seasonal vegetables and fish. However, aioli works as an appetizer or first course with raw vegetables (crudités) such as carrots and radishes. Alternatively, serve aioli as a starter course in colder weather with a few steamed vegetables, boiled potatoes, shrimp or crab.

Aioli: A Garlic Mayonnaise

Susan Herrmann Loomis

You can make aioli in a food processor or blender from start to finish. It will taste delicious, but its texture won’t be as fine as when made by hand with a mortar and pestle. Aioli crosses the boundaries of the seasons, served with warm, steamed vegetables in the winter or raw produce in the summer.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Sauce, Starter Course

Cuisine French, Provencal

Servings 6 people

Equipment

• 1 food processor
• 1 mortar and pestle or instead of a food processor

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 5 garlic cloves green germ removed
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 cup Neutral Cooking Oil vegetable, grapeseed, or canola
• 2 tsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

 

• Make a paste of the garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle by working the pestle around slowly in the mortar. You can also do this in a food processor.
• Whisk in the mustard and egg yolks until they are blended with the garlic and salt. Then, using either the mortar or a whisk, slowly add 3/4 cup (185ml) of the neutral oil very slowly in a fine, fine stream until the mixture becomes thick.
• Add the lemon juice to the oil and garlic mixture, then add the remaining oil.
• Taste the mixture for seasoning, and adjust with more lemon juice and salt if necessary.

Keyword Condiment, Garlic, Mayonnaise, Sauce

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Carolyne Kauser-Abbott

With her camera and laptop close at hand, Carolyne has traded in her business suits for the world of freelance writing and blogging. Her first airplane ride at six months of age was her introduction to the exciting world of travel.

While in Provence, Carolyne can be found hiking with friends, riding the hills around the Alpilles or tackling Mont Ventoux. Her attachment to the region resonates in Perfectly Provence this digital magazine that she launched in 2014. This website is an opportunity to explore the best of the Mediterranean lifestyle (food & wine, places to stay, expat stories, books on the region, travel tips, real estate tips and more), through our contributors' articles.

Carolyne writes a food and travel blog Ginger and Nutmeg. Carolyne’s freelance articles can be found in Global Living Magazine, Avenue Magazine and City Palate (Published Travel Articles).