I question the amount of garlic in this recipe, considering the Penelope Casas calls for 8-10 cloves of garlic for the same amount of olive oil in her recipes in "The Foods and Wines of Spain" and "Delicioso: The Regional Cooking of Spain". Penelope Casas is one of the foremost authorities on Spanish cooking, so I would tend to trust her. I realize that you have this recipe listed under "French", but still, there isn't much difference between the French and Spanish versions, save the possible addition of moutarde in France, and the omission of eggs in Catalunya. Even the "Grand Aļoli" recipe on p.259 of "Saveur Cooks Authentic French calls for 6 cloves per 2 cups of oil, or three times as much as this recipe! In "Provence: The Beautiful Cookbook", the authors call for 6-12 cloves per 2 cups of oil, and in "Mediterranean: The Beautiful Cookbook", Joyce Goldstein calls for 6-8 cloves per 2 cups of oil. In "Sephardic Flavors: Jewish Cooking of the Mediterranean", Goldstein calls for 5-6 cloves per 1 cup, even more than Casas.
Aļoli
Use a pale-golden oil to make this silky, garlic-spiced mayonnaise. Nesting the mixing bowl on a tea towel fitted inside a stock pot creates an easy, even stabilization, which frees both your hands for simultaneous whisking and oil-pouring.
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Credit: Andræ Baranowski
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 clove garlic, minced and
smashed into a paste
1 cup pale golden extra-virgin
olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
1. Drape a tea towel over a 5-qt. pot and set a medium bowl inside pot so it nestles inside snugly. Add lemon juice, egg yolk, and garlic to bowl and beat until well combined.
2. Transfer oil to a measuring cup with a spout; while whisking vigorously, drizzle a few drops of oil into bowl with egg mixture. Still whisking, drizzle in a few more drops, and continue to whisk vigorously until egg mixture is very thick and emulsified. Gradually add remaining oil in a very thin stream while whisking vigorously until the aïoli is smooth, pale yellow, and emulsified. Season with salt.
3.Whisk in 2 tsp. water for a thinner aïoli. Aïoli will keep, refrigerated and covered, for up to 3 days.
MAKES 1 CUP
