Confit garlic aioli is one of my absolute favorite condiments. With its rich, garlicky flavor and creamy texture, a dollop of homemade aioli can transform even the simplest dishes into something extraordinary.

Over the years, I’ve experimented extensively to develop my ultimate confit garlic aioli recipe. A combination of egg, confit garlic, English mustard, smoked salt, white wine vinegar, and garlic-infused rice bran oil delivers a significant umami punch.

In this blog post, I’ll walk you through my entire confit garlic aioli recipe toolkit. From start to finish, it includes prep tips and step-by-step instructions. An in-depth exploration of each key ingredient goes into making this sensational, next-level aioli. Let’s dive in!

Confit Garlic Aioli Ingredients And My Selection Process

Great aioli begins with thoughtfully chosen components. When developing my recipe, I tested countless variations until I landed on the perfect blend of ingredients that ticked all the boxes. Creamy, savory, tangy, and undeniably addictive. Here’s why I landed on each key ingredient.

The Ingredients

• 1 Whole eggs.
• 2 tbsp Confit garlic puree (homemade).
• 1 tbsp English mustard.
• 1 tbsp White wine vinegar.
• 1 tsp Smoked salt.
• 1 cup Rice bran oil (garlic infused).

• Eggs — I’m using whole eggs. They are fundamental to the emulsified texture of aioli. I use only free-range or organic eggs with vibrant orange yolks. Eggs also contribute tons of savory, custard-like flavor. You can use egg yolks only; you’ll need to adjust the oil content as you will need less.

• Confit Garlic — The not-so-secret weapon that makes my aioli exceptional. Slow-poaching whole garlic cloves in oil gently mellows their sharpness while concentrating the aromatic sweetness. My confit garlic delivers a subtle sweetness of pure garlic that perfectly balances the other ingredients. I make it myself by slowly infusing garlic cloves in rice bran oil.
• English Mustard — I adore the subtle heat and tang that English mustard contributes. Its distinctive horseradish zing brightens all the other rich flavors. English mustard also has a magical emulsifying property that helps create aioli’s signature creamy texture. The iconic Colman’s brand is my mustard of choice.
• White Wine Vinegar — A splash is the final flavor secret, adding a gentle bite of acidity to balance the richness. White wine vinegar cuts through the oil for a beautifully bright finish. I always have a bottle of quality champagne vinegar on hand.
• Smoked Salt — An incredible flavor dimension, lending charred wood and bonfire notes that interact beautifully with the other components. The touch of smokiness enhances that savory umami-richness. I source genuine oak-smoked sea salt flakes from a local artisan producer.
• Garlic-Infused Rice Bran Oil — The perfect base oil is paramount for excellent aioli flavor. After extensive testing, I landed on rice bran oil. This is a by-product of when I made confit garlic. It is infused with the flavors of garlic and thyme. Rice bran oil has a very high smoke point, so it holds up to blending without getting bitter. It also has a clean, light taste, allowing the garlic and other flavors to shine rather than overpowering them.

My Confit Garlic Aioli Recipe Explained

After breaking down the rationale behind my meticulously chosen ingredients, let’s get into the nitty gritty of preparing this showstopping confit garlic aioli. Consider this section your guide to demystifying my process from start to finish. This roadmap walks through making confit garlic; the garlic-flavored oil is a by-product of making confit garlic. Then, blending everything into emulsified aioli glory.

Making Confit Garlic Puree

1. Confit Garlic Puree — First, we need to make that confit garlic puree. Prep the garlic by separating the cloves from the bulb and removing the skins. Place the peeled garlic cloves in a small saucepan. I also add a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme. Add enough rice bran oil to cover them.
   • Gently warm the oil and garlic over medium-low heat. If you want the garlic to poach slowly, keep the temperature low, between 85 – 95 °C (180 – 200°F) if possible. Allow the garlic to bubble lazily, stirring occasionally, until the cloves are completely soft and golden when pierced with a fork, about one hour.
   • Remove from the heat and allow the confit garlic to come to room temperature. Remove the confit garlic from the oil (keep the oil) and, using a spoon, push it through a sieve. This will take a little longer than using a blender; however, it is worth it. The confit garlic puree will be smooth and silky. The confit garlic puree can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Confit Garlic Aioli Recipe

Aioli belongs to a storied category of derivative sauces that modern chefs like myself rely on to add complexity to dishes. At its core, classic aioli is essentially just mayonnaise punctuated with pungent garlic. Yet this simple, emulsified cold sauce has become indispensable to any chef’s or home cook’s recipe repertoire.

Aioli falls into the broader family known as derivative sauces. These sauces originate from a mother sauce like mayonnaise or hollandaise and get flavored with supplementary ingredients like herbs, citrus, or plenty of garlic in aioli’s case.

While aioli may sound flashy, in essence, it’s mayonnaise jazzed up with the addition of garlic. But that garlic makes all the difference, lending aioli a much bolder, more rustic flavor profile than its parent sauce.

1. Confit Garlic Aioli — Add one whole egg to a small stainless steel bowl. Add two tablespoons of your confit garlic puree, one tablespoon of English mustard, one tablespoon of white wine vinegar, and a generous pinch of smoked sea salt.

2. Take a stick blender with the whisk attachment and gently whisk to incorporate the ingredients. Once the ingredients in the bowl are incorporated, slowly drizzle in the garlic-infused oil while continuously whisking. Add just a few drops of the oil until the aioli comes together, emulsifies, and thickens.

3. Keep whisking rapidly as you drizzle in more oil. You’ll notice it start to turn pale yellow and develop a substantial body. Stop adding more oil when the texture resembles a lush, spoonable mayonnaise – you likely won’t need the full two cups of infused oil.

Chef’s Trick For Fixing Split Confit Garlic Aioli

Even after years of practice, my aioli still separates on me occasionally. I can’t count how many batches I’ve made, but emulsions remain temperamental regardless of your experience level. When my aioli refuses to come together and splits into a curdled mess, I use this simple chef’s trick to smooth things out again.

First, I crack a fresh whole egg into a clean bowl and start whisking vigorously. As I whisk, I slowly drizzle my broken, separated aioli into the egg in a thin stream. Almost instantly, I see everything smooth back into a creamy, cohesive mixture as the egg works its magic.

The key is gradually adding the problematic aioli back into the egg while never stopping that constant whisking motion. This allows the egg emulsifiers to slowly incorporate all that oil and garlic instead of overloading.

I cannot stress enough the importance of a slow, steady drizzle when salvaging split aioli. Resist the urge to rush by dumping everything together at once. Patience pays off with perfect texture.

Confit Garlic Aioli Serving Suggestions And Pairings

Now comes the best part enjoying this confit garlic aioli in all its glory! Here are some of my favorite ways to showcase its crave-worthy flavor.

• Next-Level Seared Steak — A dollop of this umami-packed confit garlic aioli on top of a perfect seared ribeye is sheer heaven! It cuts through the rich beefiness beautifully.
• Beer Battered Oysters — Slather the aioli onto beer battered rock oysters, with a squeeze of lemon and some fresh herbs. Delicious briny-garlicky-smoky flavors!
• Blistered Green Beans — A dollop on your blanched haricots verts or green beans. Add a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts or crunchy fried shallots for a restaurant-worthy side.
• Frites With Aioli — Naturally, a bowl of crispy fries dipped into my signature confit garlic aioli always hits the spot! Go classic with simple sea salt on the fries, or kick it up with truffle oil and parmesan.
• Classic Roasted Meat Sandwich — Spread my confit garlic aioli on focaccia bread with sliced corned beef, pickled onions, and shredded lettuce for a finger-licking gourmet sandwich. Add slices of parmesan or aged cheddar cheese for extra richness.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless with this versatile, confit garlic aioli recipe in your toolkit! I encourage you to get creative and incorporate it into various dishes. This sensational, next-level confit garlic aioli is your new secret weapon for instantly elevating any meal!

Cooking Is A Science And A Skill

Cooking is a science and a skill that requires a deep understanding of both the technical and creative aspects. Cooking is also a matter of precise measurements and ratios.

For example, baking is particularly sensitive to accurate measurements and temperatures. A slight deviation in the amount of an ingredient or cooking degrees can result in a completely different outcome. So, to help you, here is a handy little unit converter tool for cooking without guesswork.

Your Confit Garlic Aioli Recipe Toolkit: The Culinary Umami-Hit

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PREP TIME: | 15 minutes mins

COOK TIME: | 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

TOTAL TIME: | 2 hours hrs

SERVINGS: | 25 servings

AUTHOR: | Shannon The Helpful Chef

PIN PRINT RECIPE

DESCRIPTION

DISH SUMMARY

Homemade mayonnaise and mellowed confit garlic combine forces in this comprehensive toolkit to create the umami-rich confit garlic aioli. You'll love it.

Equipment

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  Cookware
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  Kitchen Gadgets
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  Kitchen Knives

Ingredients

1x2x3x

US CUSTOMARYMETRIC

• ▢ 1 whole Egg size 6 or 7
• ▢ 2 tbsp Confit garlic puree homemade
• ▢ 1 tbsp English mustard substitutes Dijon or wholegrain
• ▢ 1 tbsp White wine vinegar substitutes champagne or chardonnay vinegar
• ▢ 1 tsp Smoked sea salt
• ▢ 1 cup Rice bran oil garlic infused

Instructions

SHOWHIDE

• Confit Garlic Puree — First, we need to make that confit garlic puree. Prep the garlic by separating the cloves from the bulb and removing the skins. Place the peeled garlic cloves in a small saucepan. I also add a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme. Add enough rice bran oil to cover them.

  Gently warm the oil and garlic over medium-low heat. If you want the garlic to poach slowly, keep the temperature low, between 85 – 95 °C (180 – 200°F) if possible. Allow the garlic to bubble lazily, stirring occasionally, until the cloves are completely soft and golden when pierced with a fork, about one hour.

  Remove from the heat and allow the confit garlic to come to room temperature. Remove the confit garlic from the oil (keep the oil) and, using a spoon, push it through a sieve. This will take a little longer than using a blender; however, it is worth it. The confit garlic puree will be smooth and silky. The confit garlic puree can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
  
• Confit Garlic Aioli — Add one whole egg to a small stainless steel bowl. Add two tablespoons of your confit garlic puree, one tablespoon of English mustard, one tablespoon of white wine vinegar, and a generous pinch of smoked sea salt.
  
• Take a stick blender with the whisk attachment and gently whisk to incorporate the ingredients. Once the ingredients in the bowl are incorporated, slowly drizzle in the garlic-infused oil while continuously whisking. Add just a few drops of the oil until the aioli comes together, emulsifies, and thickens.
  
• Keep whisking rapidly as you drizzle in more oil. You’ll notice it start to turn pale yellow and develop a substantial body. Stop adding more oil when the texture resembles a lush, spoonable mayonnaise – you likely won’t need the full two cups of infused oil.
  

Chef Tips

Garlic Infused Oil — When making confit garlic, the oil that you confit the garlic in becomes chef’s gold. The oil is infused with the rich flavors of garlic and any herbs you’ve added. I added fresh thyme, which gives the oil a floral earthiness.

Adding The Oil — When drizzling in the oil, pour it into a jug. This will make drizzle into the aioli easier in an even stream. This will help prevent your aioli from splitting and breaking.

MAKING CONFIT GARLIC AIOLI WITH WHOLE EGGS

I use whole eggs rather than separating the yolks when making my signature confit garlic aioli. As much as possible, I avoid wasting anything precious from my ingredients. So, instead of discarding those egg whites, I keep everything intact. But I recognize that traditional aioli recipes often rely solely on the rich yellow yolks for emulsification power.

If you prefer, you can strain out only the yolks to follow convention. In that case, reserve those leftover egg whites! Make a light and fluffy omelet or meringue to take advantage of the whole egg. That’s a great compromise approach if you want a more classic aioli texture.

The main difference with utilizing whole eggs is that my result becomes thicker and more aerated, akin to a garlic-kissed mayonnaise. That’s because the extra white adds more liquid that must get whipped smoothly into the oil.

To account for the additional liquid from the whole egg, I gradually stream in a bit more oil as I’m whisking everything together. That helps me achieve the perfect velvety consistency I look for in aioli. But the flavor remains as bold, salty, and garlicky as traditional yolk aioli.

CHEF’S TRICK FOR FIXING SPLIT CONFIT GARLIC AIOLI

Even after years of practice, my aioli still separates on me occasionally. I can’t count how many batches I’ve made, but emulsions remain temperamental regardless of your experience level. When my aioli refuses to come together and splits into a curdled mess, I use this simple chef’s trick to smooth things out again.

First, I crack a fresh whole egg into a clean bowl and start whisking vigorously. As I whisk, I slowly drizzle my broken, separated aioli into the egg in a thin stream. Almost instantly, I see everything smooth back into a creamy, cohesive mixture as the egg works its magic.

The key is gradually adding the problematic aioli back into the egg while never stopping that constant whisking motion. This allows the egg emulsifiers to slowly incorporate all that oil and garlic instead of overloading.

I cannot stress enough the importance of a slow, steady drizzle when salvaging split aioli. Resist the urge to rush by dumping everything together at once. Patience pays off with perfect texture.

Nutrition

Serving>1serve | Calories>79kcal | Carbohydrates>0.3g | Protein>0.1g | Fat>9g | Saturated Fat>2g | Polyunsaturated Fat>3g | Monounsaturated Fat>3g | Cholesterol>0.1mg | Sodium>144mg | Potassium>3mg | Fiber>0.01g | Sugar>0.1g | Vitamin A>0.3IU | Vitamin C>0.2mg | Calcium>1mg | Iron>0.02mg

COURSE:

Sauces

CUISINE:

French

KEYWORD:

Aioli

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Confit Garlic

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Mayonnaise

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