PROVENCAL GARLIC SAUCES AND SPREADS


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L'aioli (as made by hand)
(Garlic Mayonnaise)

Aioli has been called the "butter of Provence." Using garlic 
unsparingly, it was inevitable for the people of Provence to add it to 
mayonnaise. The word itself is a combination of ail (garlic) and oli 
(oil).

This traditional pungent and delightfully creamy sauce is served on 
Friday all over the South, with boiled vegetables such as potatoes, 
carrots, artichokes, cauliflower, green beans; or cold chicken and 
fish, especially cod; or escargots. Sometimes a cooled mashed potato 
or a slice of bread soaked in milk and squeezed dry is added to the 
egg yolks in the first part of the process. This makes the aioli thicker 
and more delicious (see electric mixer mayonnaise).

As for mayonnaise, all the elements of this sauce must be at room 
temperature.

(Serves 4-6; makes 2 1/2-3 cups)

8 whole cloves garlic, peeled
3 egg yolks
2 to 2 1/2 cups olive oil (pure)
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon water at room temperature

In mortar or glass mixing bowl, mash the garlic; add the egg yolks 
and salt. Gradually and drop by drop, add oil, stirring constantly 
with pestle or wooden spoon until the aioli is thick and shiny. Add 
the teaspoon water; stir once more to blend (this gives a smoother 
appearance to the sauce).

If it is not to be used immediately, refrigerate; but let it come back to 
room temperature before serving.


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L'aioli (by electric mixer)
(Garlic Mayonnaise)

(Serves 4-6; makes about 2 1/2 cups)

1 slice white bread
1/3 cup milk
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 egg yolks
2 cups olive oil
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon water at room temperature

Soak bread in milk; squeeze thoroughly and discard milk. Place 
bread in bowl of electric mixer; beat until smooth; add egg yolks and 
garlic. Start mixing at medium speed; add oil drop by drop and 
continue beating until mixture is thick. Add salt; taste; rectify 
seasoning. Add water; stir by hand to blend.


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Sauce Ondine
(Undine Sauce)

Ondine, or undine in English, is a female water spirit, popularized 
in 1939 by the French writer Jean Giraudoux. What a charming 
name for this sauce, which is to be served with fish! The piquancy 
obtained from the blending of lemon, capers, and mustard goes 
beautifully with any cold fish such as sole, flounder, or cod.

(Makes a little less than 2 cups)

1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup whipped cream
1/4 cup real mayonnaise (not salad dressing)
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 shallot, finely minced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped capers
Salt and pepper

 Combine all the ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly blended.
Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before using.


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Sauce remoulade
Remoulade Sauce

(Makes about 1 cup)

1 cup mayonnaise
2 shallots, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced fine
5 cornichons or baby dill pickles, chopped fine
1 tablespoon parsley, minced fine
1 tablespoon capers, chopped fine
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped fine, or
     1/2 teaspoon dried dill, crushed

Blend all ingredients. Refrigerate 1 hour before using. Serve with 
fish.


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Anchoiade pour legumes et crudites
(Anchovy Dip for Vegetables)

1 2-ounce can anchovies with or without capers
1 clove garlic, mashed
2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
1/4 cup capers, chopped fine
Pepper

Combine all the ingredients in glass or porcelain bowl. Chill and 
serve with crudites.


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L'anchoiade
Anchovy Hors d'Oeuvre

L'anchoiade is also called la bagnaroto in Provence. It is served either 
spread on slices of French country bread or as a dip with crudites.

(Serves 4)

8 slices French bread lightly toasted in oven, on one side only
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
Water
2 2-ounce cans anchovy fillets
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar or lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper

Place garlic cloves in small saucepan with cold water to barely cover; 
bring to boil. Remove immediately; peel and mash the pulp in 
mortar or bowl with pestle or wooden spoon. Drain the anchovies of 
their oil and rinse under cold water; pat them dry with paper 
towel; add them to garlic and mash to a puree. Add vinegar or 
lemon juice, then, slowly, the oil, mashing and turning with pestle 
until the mixture is homogeneous.

Spread the untoasted side of bread with puree, making sure to press 
it into the bread. Broil for 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately.


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La tapenade
(Caper Spread)

The word tapenade comes from tapeno in Provencal, or capre in 
French. The caper is the flower bud of a bush growing all along the 
Mediterranean coast, including the South of France. The best capers 
are usually grown in the area between Marseille and St. Tropez; the 
caper plants produced there bear a large bud, far superior to the 
small ones of other parts of the Mediterranean coast.

The predecessor of the flavorful spread below was brought to France 
by the ancient Greeks, the Phocaeans, when they came to establish 
their bases around Massilia (now Marseille).

Very versatile, this mixture can be used as a spread on slices of rye 
bread, as canapes, or as a filling for tomatoes, eggs, or sliced 
cucumbers.


1/2 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted and washed, or canned black
     olives, chopped fine
1/2 cup well-freshened anchovies, mashed to a paste
1/4 cup well-freshened capers, chopped fine
1/2 cup regular canned tuna, or tuna packed in water, thoroughly
     drained and mashed
1 clove garlic, mashed
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1-2 teaspoons olive oil (enough to moisten)


Mix all ingredients except oil in bowl; pound until mixture is 
homogeneous (food processor may be used if given only 2 or 3 off-
and-on turns). Add enough oil to moisten.

There is no need to salt this mixture; black pepper may be used.


Uploaded 04 June 1992 by Lon Hall