What You Need to Know
The technique involves slowly pouring olive oil into a mixture of garlic and egg yolks while whisking, creating a stable emulsion through the formation of a complex network of lipids and proteins. The key variables are temperature, pH, and the ratio of oil to garlic.
This technique is unique in that it uses a combination of garlic and olive oil to create a pungent and creamy sauce, commonly used in Tuscan dishes such as bistecca alla fiorentina.
Steps
- 1.
Bagna Càuda (Piedmont, Italy): Forms the base for this warm dipping sauce with anchovies
- 2.
Allioli (Catalonia, Spain): Adapted version without eggs using only garlic and oil
- 3.
Toum (Lebanon): Similar emulsification principle creates this garlic sauce
The Science
Primary Reaction
Lecithin-mediated emulsification