strong arming you

You might think the day after my KitchenAid ProMixer breaks should not be the one that I decide to make an aoli. No, no, I say, it IS the perfect time. My little girl picked out a beautiful piece of salmon at the market. And I had just read a recipe for Aioli that would go so well with fish.

Look at the striations on this baby...
Farm raised Norwegian salmon from Plum Market in Ann Arbor.



Anyway, I digress. I have made aioli before, but I've used a machine. So I guess some would say that I actually haven't made it, at least not the old fashioned way.

This recipe is based on one found on Epicurious.com and a homemade mayonnaise recipe from the Silver Spoon (Phaidon).

Aioli

1. Whisk two egg yolks and 1/2 garlic clove finely grated.
2. Slowly dribble in one scant cup oil. I used 1/2 extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 canola oil, although some recipes call for all olive oil, when I've made it before with all olive oil the taste was a bit overwhelming for me. For the first two tablespoons, whisk in two or three drops at a time. After that a steady thin stream will work.
   
3. When the whole cup is Incorporated, add two teaspoons fresh lemon juice, two teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.
   

Some recipes called for adding a bit of warm water at the end, but I find that the lemon and worc. add enough liquid to thin it out sufficiently.


Disclaimer: my arm was killing me. It is not easy to hold the bowl and whisk and the measuring cup that you're pouring the oil from. Eventually I settled on wedging the bowl in between my body and my large BOOS block cutting board on top of a tea towel. Honestly you really need a third arm. Or a friend. That's what you need, a friend who loves to cook as much as you. Alas, no one like that lives in my house, except my 9 year old, who would not be able to create a steady stream to save her life.