April Recipe: Aioli Sauce

When I have been thinking of what to make for my April recipe for a couple of weeks now. I cook with garlic a lot and enjoy the different taste it can take on. It is also the center of some great memories I have involving my husband...who loves eating garlic.

The first memory is one of our first wedding anniversary when we decided to celebrate it at The Franconia Inn in New Hampshire. Our stay included meals at their restaurant which was really great and I remember all the food being amazing. The one of many things that impressed us was with dinner when they gave a little dish of olives with olive oil and it had roasted garlic in it as well. It was just that extra little something added that made it very enjoyable. The roasted garlic was nice and mellow/sweet and so nicely spreadable on our bread.

The second memory just makes me laugh thinking about it and it is something I will not let Mike live down because it is just that funny. Mike decided one night he wanted garlic bread to go along with his meal. I don't know how many cloves of garlic he chopped up but it probably could have covered a whole loaf of bread. He put all that garlic on two piece of normal sized bread. It had to be at least a half of an inch high of garlic and I warned him that it was a lot of garlic. He was like I love garlic I can handle it...and proceeded to toast it in the oven. To make a long story short...he couldn't handle it and smelled of garlic for a good day or so. He was only able to make it through the first half of the first piece before he accepted the fact that it was a lot of garlic.

The recipe that I made for this month is something that I have been wondering about and curious about for a while now.

Aioli Sauce

2 large egg yolks
4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
salt and ground white pepper to taste
1 cup olive oil, at room temperature
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cold water

- Whisk together in a medium bowl until smooth and light the egg yolks, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Whisk oil in by drops until the mixture starts to thicken and stiffen. As the sauce begins to thicken, which in the oil more steadily, making sure each addition is thoroughly blended, before adding the next. Gradually whisk in the lemon juice and water.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately or refrigerate in a jar for 1 to 2 days.

Review: The above recipe is the full version but I cut it in half because I didn't want to have a cup of it for only 2 people. It was really easy to make and next time I think I will try it in the food processor or blender because my arm got really tired from whisking. I think I will also cut back on the garlic a little bit because it was Mike level garlic flavor and it was all I tasted for a while. I made meatloaf with boiled potatoes and green peas. I mixed in the aioli into my potatoes and it was really yummy! This sauce would be very perfect with any meat or fish dish and it would give it that little extra something.