I love a ridiculously good sauce. Especially if it’s full of seasonally appropriate flavor that goes on almost anything. Some sauces are hard to make, some are easy, and some are a combination.
This lemon basil aioli is one of those. It’s not hard necessarily, but it can go wrong quickly if you don’t pay attention or you’re trying to rush it. Especially if you’re trying to rush.
If you’ve ever made mayonnaise from scratch, this is essentially that. Emulsifying eggs and oil until they are rich and creamy. This is a bit thinner than a traditional mayo, and it’s got a lot of flavor from Ava Jane’s Kitchen Avocado Oil, fresh basil leaves, and lemon zest. It’s amazing on a sandwich, and I can’t wait until it’s full-on tomato season and I can spread this on a homegrown tomato sandwich made with the best bread.
There are only a few ingredients in this, and the method is simple — blend your egg yolks, add a couple other things, and then add your oil. Yes, you will use the whole bottle of oil for this. But if you add your oil even a touch too fast (trust me — I’ve done it plenty of times!) it won’t set up and you won’t be able to fix it without a major operation. And it still won’t be good. So go slow. You can add the oil too fast, but definitely not too slow, so if you’re questioning the speed, just go slower. A dribble. Another dribble. Yet another dribble. Keep dribbling until it starts to thicken and then you can stream it in, but still slow. If you’ve never done this before, you can practice making a basic mayo with an inexpensive vegetable oil that you won’t care about throwing out if it goes wrong. I know, it sounds scary, but once you’ve got the hang of it, it’s super simple I promise.
