Roasted Garlic Aioli

I'd like to interrupt these beauty reviews to bring you a post about....FOOD! Yes, you heard me right, there's no need to rub your eyes. I said I like dabbling and food definitely is one of the things I love dabbling in!

For the record, I'd like to say I'm not one who is big on recipes. I don't think I have ever followed a recipe word for word since I was young, maybe 12? And I think it was for rice. But I do follow formulas like for instance to make a white sauce you need 1 cup of milk, 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon of cornstartch, add salt and pepper to your taste and voila! You got a great base to make maybe a cheese sauce for your macaroni and cheese. With that base I treat it like a blank canvas for creating something even better. Think about it, underneath a Da Vinci is a blank piece of paper. Though my cooking may not be up to par with Da Vinci paintings or with any iron chef I still have my own point of view. I am not great but I have great ideas and like any chef I get the greatest pleasure from sharing the things I make. So with this in mind, I hope you find my take on garlic aioli an okay one.

First I did some research because before this I had never made an aioli or mayo of any sort in my entire life. Maybe it was my fear of failure that had stopped me or my fear of salmonella. Or both. Either way, I have become more open minded and have created a better outlook for myself. If I can't make it, then I at least learned something about myself.

I came upon a recipe from the food network and decided on the tips left behind in the reviews to modify it for my own use. But here's what you'll need

-Blender, food processor or emulsion (stick) blender. From what I gathered the emulsion blender is the best way to make it and after making it I'll believe it! Cleaning out the blender of every last drop was a pain. With the emulsion blender you can make it in a nice large bowl and easily get every drop.

-1 whole large pasteurized egg

-garlic, I roasted mine before on the grill with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme

-juice from half a lemon

-salt and pepper to taste

-for extra flavor I added some smoked paprika to the mix. I love the smokey depth it brings to the sauce.

- last but not least a half cup (4 oz) of olive oil. But reading some tips it's recommended to use half olive oil half vegetable oil. The vegetable oil is supposed to add a lighter texture to it.

For this recipe I used a blender so I'll give you what knowledge I gained by using this method. It is recommended to use a completely dry machine, any water could cause it to not stick together. Water is supposed to be your worst enemy.

To the blender add all ingredients EXCEPT the oil. I kept my oil in a glass measuring cup for an easy pour. Now I recommend putting the top on, but with the middle popped off so you may pour the oil into the mixture. Pour slowly and a little at a time. Do not just dump it in and hope for the best. This is where any patience you may have pays off. If you're a person who has very little patience (guilty as charged!) save what little you have for making your aioli. Keep pouring a little at a time until it is all inside your blender. You'll notice the mixture has gotten thick, if it's too thick add a little more lemon juice to your aioli and blend it some more. I had no more lemon because I made myself a cocktail with the last lemon I had so I substituted a little white vinegar and it was fine.

If you notice it has not thickened or has even separated, a quick fix I found via googling was to add an egg yolk to it, keep blending and it should come together. I prepared myself for this reality but was pleased I didn't have to use this newfound knowledge.

Now what to do with this beautiful creamy sauce? Well, you can dip some fries in it, serve it with a grilled steak, use instead of mayo on your sandwiches. What will I do with it? I'll be grilling up some artichokes tonight and dipping the delicious thing in it. If I remember to record it step by step I'll make a post on that tonight or tomorrow night.

Keep in mind the shelf life for this is 2 days so don't make too much at one time unless you're sure you'll eat it all.

So now that I gave you my experience with making aioli hopefully you gained some insight which will make you brave enough to try to do it on your own. Happy eating everyone!