Thing Thirty-Two: Homemade Tarragon Aioli
Apr. 1st, 2013 11:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
badseed1980I don't often make mayonnaise. I really only make it when I'm having guests over and I'm serving them artichokes. There is nothing better for dipping artichoke leaves into, than homemade mayonnaise. The addition of garlic to make it an aioli renders it even more tasty. Adding the fresh, herbal flavor of tarragon on top of that, and you're verging on the sublime.
I will admit that I cheat when it comes to making my aioli: I use an immersion blender. It's easier than a whisk, and very fast. Really, it's almost foolproof.
You will need: one egg (large), about a cup of oil, the vinegar of your choice or some lemon juice, a clove of garlic, a little dijon mustard, fresh tarragon, and some salt. Note: I use a whole egg, though you can use just the yolk, in which case you may well need less oil. The whole egg actually helps it emulsify better, and it is a little bit lighter-tasting.
Let an egg sit out of the refrigerator long enough for it to come to room temperature. While it's warming up, peel and smash a clove of garlic. Mince it up, and then use the flat of your knife blade to crush it into a paste. Measure out a cup of oil in a measuring cup with a pour spout. I used 1/3 extra virgin olive oil, and 2/3 canola oil. If your olive oil is a light variety instead of extra virgin, you could use all olive oil, but the pure extra virgin can be a little overwhelming in flavor. Also, mince up some fresh tarragon.
When your egg is no longer cold, crack it into a container. When using an immersion blender, I prefer using the tall blending cup that came with it, though a bowl would be fine if you're using a whisk, or you could do it in a carafe-style blender. Add a pinch of salt, a little dijon mustard (I used maybe a teaspoon, no more), your garlic paste, and perhaps a tablespoon of your vinegar or lemon juice (I used champagne vinegar for this one). Stick your blender in, and start it up. (Alternatively, start whisking, or put the cover on your blender carafe and start it.) Slowly, drizzle the oil into the container, while you keep blending. The mayonnaise should start to form quickly if you're using any kind of electric blender. You'll see it turn opaque and sort of off-white in color. When all the oil has been added, taste the aioli. Adjust the salt and the vinegar if necessary. When you're satisfied with it, add the minced tarragon and stir with a spoon. Adding it at the end like this keeps it from turning your aioli green, because the blender would pulverize it.
If you're eating your aioli within an hour of making it, you don't need to refrigerate it. If not, stick it in the fridge. I generally don't keep it more than 3-4 days to be safe, though recommendations about how long it keeps are all over the map, from two days to over two weeks. Don't eat it if it starts to look or smell bad. Besides eating it with artichokes, try putting it on a BLT, or using it to make chicken salad or egg salad.
I will admit that I cheat when it comes to making my aioli: I use an immersion blender. It's easier than a whisk, and very fast. Really, it's almost foolproof.
You will need: one egg (large), about a cup of oil, the vinegar of your choice or some lemon juice, a clove of garlic, a little dijon mustard, fresh tarragon, and some salt. Note: I use a whole egg, though you can use just the yolk, in which case you may well need less oil. The whole egg actually helps it emulsify better, and it is a little bit lighter-tasting.
Let an egg sit out of the refrigerator long enough for it to come to room temperature. While it's warming up, peel and smash a clove of garlic. Mince it up, and then use the flat of your knife blade to crush it into a paste. Measure out a cup of oil in a measuring cup with a pour spout. I used 1/3 extra virgin olive oil, and 2/3 canola oil. If your olive oil is a light variety instead of extra virgin, you could use all olive oil, but the pure extra virgin can be a little overwhelming in flavor. Also, mince up some fresh tarragon.
When your egg is no longer cold, crack it into a container. When using an immersion blender, I prefer using the tall blending cup that came with it, though a bowl would be fine if you're using a whisk, or you could do it in a carafe-style blender. Add a pinch of salt, a little dijon mustard (I used maybe a teaspoon, no more), your garlic paste, and perhaps a tablespoon of your vinegar or lemon juice (I used champagne vinegar for this one). Stick your blender in, and start it up. (Alternatively, start whisking, or put the cover on your blender carafe and start it.) Slowly, drizzle the oil into the container, while you keep blending. The mayonnaise should start to form quickly if you're using any kind of electric blender. You'll see it turn opaque and sort of off-white in color. When all the oil has been added, taste the aioli. Adjust the salt and the vinegar if necessary. When you're satisfied with it, add the minced tarragon and stir with a spoon. Adding it at the end like this keeps it from turning your aioli green, because the blender would pulverize it.
If you're eating your aioli within an hour of making it, you don't need to refrigerate it. If not, stick it in the fridge. I generally don't keep it more than 3-4 days to be safe, though recommendations about how long it keeps are all over the map, from two days to over two weeks. Don't eat it if it starts to look or smell bad. Besides eating it with artichokes, try putting it on a BLT, or using it to make chicken salad or egg salad.
