Zuni Cafés Small Batch Aioli Food

ZUNI CAFé'S SMALL-BATCH AIOLI

Steps:

• Cut garlic into a few pieces, and pound them in a mortar. Add a pinch of salt, which will act as an abrasive and help you smash the last solid bits of garlic.
• Add the egg yolk and stir with the pestle to combine the mixture. Using the pestle, work in oil, a cautious trickle or a few drops at first, then gradually increasing the flow as the yolk becomes tacky and opaque.
• Slowly stir in remaining oil, or as much as you can. As the yolk reaches saturation, the mixture will make a satisfying clucking sound (The aioli will be quite thick at this point.)
• Stir in a few drops of water. The water will whiten and soften the aioli, allowing you to add a little more oil, in case the garlic seems too aggressive when you taste the aioli. You'll need the water in any event, or the sauce will be too stiff. (Stirring in 1/2 teaspoon water will allow you to incorporate as much as 1/2 cup more oil.) Stop adding oil when the sauce has the consistency you like. Taste and adjust salt, and thin again with a little more water, if necessary.

ZUNI CAFé'S HAMBURGER

Steps:

• Cut meat into 1-inch chunks or strips. Sprinkle with salt, tossing to coat well, and refrigerate, covered, for about 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
• Assemble your meat grinder, using the grinder plate with 3/16-inch holes. Chill the grinder in a bowl of ice water for 30 minutes or refrigerate for several hours. With motor set to medium speed, drop cold meat into grinding tube and let the machine pull pieces through (resist forcing the meat through with pushing tool) into a chilled bowl. Grind the meat twice. (You may also hand-chop the meat in small batches or use a food processor with a very sharp blade, but the patties will be a bit more fragile.)
• Working quickly, form 6-ounce patties by hand, first making spheres, then flattening them to a 3/4-inch thickness. Press patties slightly thinner in the middle. (This ensures an even thickness in the finished burgers.) Keep patties refrigerated until ready to cook.
• If grilling, prepare your coals. Grill patties over medium-hot coals, flipping them three times to make sure they don't char. A cold 6-ounce patty will take about 9 minutes for a rosy medium-rare. Rest for 2 to 3 minutes off the heat, as you would a roast, before serving. If using a preheated cast-iron pan over medium heat, cook burgers for about 10 minutes, also flipping three times, plus resting.
• To serve, warm a piece of focaccia for each burger and split the bread horizontally. Smear the bottom half with a dab of aioli, the add lettuce leaves and the cooked burger. Top with the other half of the focaccia. Serve with zucchini pickles and red onion pickles.

AIOLI

Steps:

• Place garlic and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, or in a blender. Pulse for 2 seconds. Add the egg yolk and lemon juice, and pulse on and off until blended. Turn on and begin adding the olive oil (pure first, then extra-virgin) in a thin stream. If it becomes too thick, thin it out with some room-temperature water and continue adding oil until you've used it all. Finish with pepper and (if necessary) a bit more salt.
• The reason for using 2/3 pure olive oil is to keep the flavor of the oil from becoming overpowering. This is a perfect example of how by using a fully-flavored extra virgin oil you can use much less, thereby saving money and getting better flavor.

GRAND AIOLI

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a medium pot; add cold water to cover by 1". Season with salt, bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are fork-tender, 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl of ice water and chill until cold, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper 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; reserve hot water in pot. Chill beans until cold, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and pat dry, reserving bowl of ice 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; reserve hot water in pot. Chill eggs until cold, about 5 minutes. Peel; set aside, reserving bowl of ice water.
• Return water to a boil, add shrimp, and cook just until pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer to ice water and chill until cold, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and pat dry.
• Meanwhile, pulse garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add egg yolks, lemon juice, and mustard; season with salt, then process to combine. With the motor running, slowly pour in grapeseed oil a few drops at a time. After about 1/4 cup has been added, scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Continue to add grapeseed oil with the motor running, then add olive oil and process until combined. If sauce is too thick, add water 1 Tbsp. at a time. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice, if needed.
• Transfer aioli to a serving bowl. Arrange potatoes, green beans, shrimp, halved eggs, endive, romaine, radishes, cucumbers, and tomatoes on a platter and serve alongside.
• 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.

AïOLI

Steps:

• In a small bowl pour 1 tbsp of boiling water over the saffron and set aside. Put the garlic, egg yolks and mustard into a food processor or blender. Blitz into a paste and very slowly dribble in the olive oil to make a thick mayonnaise-style sauce. When everything's come together add the saffron, saffron water and lemon juice, then season to taste. The aïoli will keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.

AïOLI

Steps:

• Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt using a large heavy knife. Whisk together yolk, lemon juice, and mustard in a bowl. Combine oils and add, a few drops at a time, to yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until all oil is incorporated and mixture is emulsified. (If mixture separates, stop adding oil and continue whisking until mixture comes together, then resume adding oil.)
• Whisk in garlic paste and season with salt and pepper. If aïoli is too thick, whisk in 1 or 2 drops of water. Chill, covered, until ready to use.

AIOLI

Steps:

• Place the garlic, egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard and water into the cup of an immersion blender. Pour the oil on top of the other ingredients and wait a few moments for the oil to separate from the ingredients beneath it. Gently nestle the blade of the immersion blender into the egg yolk at the bottom of the cup. Turn on the blender and blend until the mixture is fully emulsified, about 1 minute. Add salt to taste.

ZUNI CAFé'S SMALL-BATCH AIOLI RECIPE

Steps:

• Cut garlic into a few pieces, and pound them in a mortar. Add a pinch of salt, which will act as an abrasive and help you smash the last solid bits of garlic. Add the egg yolk and stir with the pestle to combine the mixture. Using the pestle, work in oil, a cautious trickle or a few drops at first, then gradually increasing the flow as the yolk becomes tacky and opaque. Slowly stir in remaining oil, or as much as you can. As the yolk reaches saturation, the mixture will make a satisfying clucking sound (The aioli will be quite thick at this point.) Stir in a few drops of water. The water will whiten and soften the aioli, allowing you to add a little more oil, in case the garlic seems too aggressive when you taste the aioli. You'll need the water in any event, or the sauce will be too stiff. (Stirring in 1/2 teaspoon water will allow you to incorporate as much as 1/2 cup more oil.) Stop adding oil when the sauce has the consistency you like. Taste and adjust salt, and thin again with a little more water, if necessary.