Fresh, Easy and Grand Aioli
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.
Servings 8
Equipment
- wire whisk glass or ceramic bowls and ice
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
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.