Fresh, Easy and Grand Aioli
Why I Cook
Spicy Mustard Aioli
“Cooking is therapy, and the kitchen, a place of sanity. It’s worth having cooking in your life.”
Francis Lam, Host of the Splendid Table
Whatever the reason, season, or the time, I believe it is worth having cooking in my life. To me, cooking is like a meditation. Whatever unfinished tasks, or unsolved problems are worrying me, when I step into a kitchen at day’s end, my focus turns to the tasks at hand. I notice the ravishing color of the eggplant or the sweet and acidic taste of a garden-fresh tomato. I note the texture and feel in my mouth when I bite into it. Then I smell the spice or the vinegar or the garlic called for in my recipe.
That said, I know that cooking requires attention because when my thoughts do wander to other places, I know I can fail in some part of the cooking process. Cooking asks me to focus.
I cook for therapy. I cook for fun. I cook for flavor and for my health. I cook because I like eating fresh from a local garden.
For all the above reasons, I like to make this Spicy Beer Mustard Aioli inspired by the chefs at Epicurious. The recipe is rooted in French cuisine, and I make it when garden fresh vegetables ripen, the temperature rises, and I want an easy, light, chilled and delicious path to nourishing food.
Try it yourself. I think you’ll agree.
The Buzz
Mid July, and the productive hives are busting out with bees, upwards of 60,000/hive. The nectar flow is on, the queen is laying fewer eggs because after June 21 and Summer Solstice, the angle of the sun tells her to slow down egg-laying to prepare for the approach of winter. All bees that can be spared from baby bee care and housekeeping and honey packing are flying to the nectar sources. In our area of Nebraska, the honey flow correlates with the bloom of yellow clover, alfalfa, yarrow, hyssop, milkweeds, soybeans and other prairie plants.
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Mix & Match Sets
$25.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Spicy Beer Mustard
$25.00 – $70.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Spicy and Sweet Gift Set
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Fresh, Easy and Grand Aioli
Equipment
- wire whisk glass or ceramic bowls and ice
What You'll Need:
- 1 lb. new red potatoes steam or boil with skin on
- 1 lb. garden fresh green beans trim stem end
- 4 large eggs Farmer's Market fresh
- 4 hearts of romaine, or Butter Lettuce, quartered any fresh garden lettuce
- 2 medium cucumbers or 4 Persian cucumbers Peel in stripes leaving ribbons of green and slice 1/8" slices
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 medium bag of ice for chilling potatoes, beans and hard-boiled eggs
Aioli
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 Tb Spicy Beer Mustard
- 2 Tb fresh lemon juice More if needed
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper or more to taste
- ½ tsp salt add more to taste
- ¼ tsp. Fresh ground pepper
- 1 ¼ cup olive oil
How To Prepare:
Aioli
- In a medium ceramic or glass bowl, whsk together the egg yolks, Spicy Beer Mustard and lemon juice
- Slowly stream in the olive oil, whisking the entire time until it becomes thick and creamy.
- Stir in garlic powder, cayenne, and salt and pepper and taste
- If you would like to thin it out, add a teaspoon or more of water and whisk
Preparation
- Place potatoes in a medium pot; add cold water to cover by 1" or steam the potatoes. Cook only until tender, approximately 12 minutes. Then transfer to a large bowl of ice water and chill until cold, about 3 minutes. Transfer to towels and pat dry, reserving bowl of ice water.
- Meanwhile bring another medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook until crisp-tender, 2-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beans to ice water. Chill for 5 minutes and pat dry. Reserve the pot of hot water.
- Return water in green bean pot to a boil, carefully add eggs, and cook 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to ice water. Chill eggs until cold, about 5 minutes.
Arrange the serving platter
- Transfer aioli to a serving bowl. Arrange potatoes, green beans, halved eggs, lettuces, cucumbers, and tomatoes on a platter and drizzle the aioli or serve as a dipping sauce or both.
Do Ahead
- Potatoes, green beans, and eggs can be cooked 2 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and chill. Aioli can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and chill.