Celebrate Bastille Day — or even Shabbat — with a sassy aioli

Thursday, July 9, 2009 | by louise fiszer

As I was thumbing through some of my old French cookbooks, I noticed that just about all of them had a recipe for aioli, a garlicky mayonnaise served as an appetizer with vegetables. One book in particular featured a lavish, two-page layout of this pungent dip surrounded by a most colorful array of vegetables, fish, chicken and bread.

In France, this sumptuous spread is know as “Le Grand Aioli” and is generally served to commemorate Bastille Day, which is just around the corner on Tuesday, July 14.

Whether on the actual holiday or not, a Bastille Day–type meal is perfect for Bay Area backyards. It can be shared with just a few friends, or all of your nearest and dearest. It also is perfect for Shabbat outdoor entertaining — as it is mostly a dip-and-drip affair that can be cooked and assembled the day before.

Aioli is surrounded by platters of fresh vegetables,  (cooked until tender or crunchily raw), chicken or fish (poached and served at room temperature), hard-boiled eggs and fresh country breads. The food itself makes a picture perfect centerpiece with all the colors of summer.

Note: To substitute for raw eggs in following recipes, use 11⁄2 cups store-bought mayonnaise in place of eggs and olive oil.

 

Traditional Aioli

Serves 10

1 whole egg

3 egg yolks

11⁄2 cups high-quality olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1⁄2 tsp. salt

1⁄2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 to 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice, or to taste

In food processor, beat whole egg until pale yellow. While the machine is on, drop in egg yolks, one at a time. Process until smooth and creamy. With machine running, drizzle in olive oil in a slow steady stream until the mixture resembles a thin mayonnaise. Drop in garlic, salt and pepper and continue to drizzle oil in until mixture becomes very thick. Add lemon juice. Place in serving bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve surrounded by blanched and/or and raw vegetables and hard-boiled egg slices.

 

Red Pepper Aioli

Serves 10

1 whole egg

2 egg yolks

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic

11⁄2 cups high-quality olive oil

1⁄2 cup red pepper puree (see recipe below)

1⁄2 tsp. salt

1⁄2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

In food processor, combine whole egg, egg yolks, lemon juice and garlic until creamy. While machine is running, drizzle in about half the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Add pepper puree and continue to drizzle in the remaining oil until mixture is thick. Add salt and pepper. Place in serving bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with cooked chicken or fish.

 

Red Pepper Puree

Makes about 1/2 cup

1 red pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded

1/8 tsp. cayenne

1 Tbs. honey

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

In food processor, puree all ingredients. Taste for salt and pepper.

 

Horseradish Aioli

Serves 10

1 whole egg

2 egg yolks

1⁄2 tsp. mustard

11⁄2 cups olive oil

3 Tbs. freshly grated or prepared horseradish

2 Tbs. capers, rinsed and drained

salt and pepper

In food processor, process whole egg, yolks and mustard until creamy. While machine is running, drizzle in olive oil in a slow steady stream until mixture is thick. Remove to serving bowl and stir in horseradish and capers until well combined. Taste for salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with cooked fish.

Louise Fiszer is a Palo Alto cooking teacher, author and the co-author of “Jewish Holiday Cooking.” Her columns alternate with those of Faith Kramer. Questions and recipe ideas can be sent to j. or to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).