There are a million different ways to make mayonnaise exciting~ you can add just about any herb or flavoring to make a delicious spread for a sandwich, sauce for grilled potatoes, or a dipping sauce for veggies, chips or fries. I'm not a big fan of making mayonnaise from scratch; I think it's because I don't a) want to go through the trouble for as often as I use mayonnaise and b) I'm not so fond of raw eggs. I tend to just buy the big old jar of full-fat Hellman's and add all sorts of things to it so that it complements whatever I'm making for dinner. The key ingredients for me are a hint of citrus, salt, pepper and an additional element such as garlic, chipotle, or cumin. I will post on some of these recipes as I go (for example, chipotle mayo that is great on fries and chipotle chicken sadwiches), but I will start with my recipe for the fancy, shmancy mayo below...otherwise known as aioli, or a savory, garlic-infused mayonnaise.
Basic Aioli:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 lemon wedge
ground black pepper (you can use white, but I kind of like the speckled look of black pepper)
a pinch of salt
2 garlic cloves, minced (use the technique from last week to ensure you're not actually biting into garlic when you eat this)
Mix all ingredients together and chill. I recommend making this a few hours in advance so the garlic really soaks into the mayonnaise mixture. This aioli is great on a sandwich, as a dipping sauce for fries (and you can definitely justify dipping your fries into mayo if you make my oven-baked fries!) or thinned with a little extra lemon and drizzled over asparagus or roasted potatoes.
Basic Aioli:
4 comments:
Love the recommendation for letting the garlic really soak in! Sounds delish and easy. I heartily second full-fat Hellman's, it's the best.
Joel LOVES this stuff...I probably make it 2-3 times a week! I am definitely a full-fat butter/mayo kind of girl ;)
I love you even more now(had no idea it was possible) because I thought Aioli was a magical mystery sauce only able to be conjured by sorcerers in high towers. Question: How much lemon juice can I use to replace the lemon wedge? I can't find any lemons in my good ol' mountain town. Have the fake stuff.
By the way, have you read "In defense of food." Michael Pollan totally debunks the fat free myth, et cetera, reminding us the main replacement of fat in low-fat/fat-free foods refined carbohydrates actually "interfere with insulin metabolism in ways that increase hunger and promote overeating and fat storage in the body." Good and easy read. I can bring it with me in March if you are interested:)
Maybe a teaspoon of lemon juice or a little less. By the way, I am a sorceror in a high tower ;) xoxo
Post a Comment