Garlic’s reward when it’s been very good

And boy has it been good. The fresh garlic we’ve been getting recently is mind-shifting. Where once was a helpful flavor-enhancer now is that which meals ought revolve around. And there is no better garlic-based meal than one with a heaping bowl of aïoli at its center.

Aïoli is the classic Provençal emulsion of olive oil and garlic. You whisk the oil with an egg yolk (though the yolk is apparently not perfectly traditional, it does make the emulsifying a whole lot easier) until you’ve made a thick mayonnaise, then add garlic that’s been crushed and pounded with coarse salt. There’s a recipe at the bottom of this post.

Aïoli is on menus in this country too indiscriminately, perverted by all sorts of transgressions: the use of jarred mayonnaise (often combined with jarred minced garlic), or some other flavoring — red peppers, sriracha, sundried tomatoes, whatever — that is not only inauthentic (a matter about which I care little) but also destructive of true aïoli’s whole reason for being: immense, unadulterated, sinus-tingling garlic power.

I could spread aïoli on toast, or bathe a can of tuna in it, or stir it into rice, but the best way to enjoy it is in classic style: “Le Grand Aïoli”. Place your bowl of aïoli at the center of the table, and surround it with blanched vegetables: potatoes, green beans, fennel, turnips or radishes, cauliflower. Carrots are traditional, but I always feel they’re too sweet for the garlicky punch. I often add to the table some sliced tomatoes, celery (local, hearty celery is best), fat green olives, hard-boiled eggs, sometimes even a simple poached white fish.

To drink? Rosé, of course. From Provençe, why not?

Here’s the Aïoli recipe. Play with it a bit if you like, but not much:

• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil (use one on the fruity end, not too peppery because the garlic will provide all the pepper and strength you need)
• 4-6 large garlic cloves
• coarse sea salt

In a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with 2 tsp. of salt. (No mortar and pestle? A food processor will do.) Set aside.

In a large bowl, set on a wet kitchen towel so it won’t move around, beat the egg yolks with a whisk, then add a spoonful of oil and whisk some more. Keep adding oil spoonful by spoonful, slowly, making sure to incorporate each addition thoroughly before adding more so your emulsion doesn’t break. (If you keep your oil in a plastic squeeze bottle, you can control the flow perfectly.)

If your emulsion gets too thick, thin it with a touch of water. If your emulsion breaks, the addition of another egg yolk usually brings it back.

At the end, gently add the mashed garlic and salt. Let the aïoli sit a few minutes, then taste and adjust salt. The garlic should be prominent; if it isn’t, mash another clove or two with some more salt, and add it.