Mustard Aioli

Mustard Aioli
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
scant cup canola oil
salt, to taste

Whisk together the yolk, mustard, and vinegar. Slowly and steadily stream in the oil, whisking constantly. The mixture will gradually thicken. You may not need all of the oil. Be careful not to add oil too quickly or to add too much oil as this will cause the aioli to split. Season with salt to taste.

Roasted Baby Potatoes with Mustard Aioli & Onion Jam

White baby potatoes. Cut an "X" in the top of each potato. Do not cut all the way through the potato, just enough to make a small crown-like opening. You can also cut a small slice off the bottom of the potatoes if they are really round and roll too much. Drizzle the potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper and roast at 425◦F until tender. They can be prepared ahead of time up to this point.
Fill the centers of the potatoes with onion jam and pop back in the oven to heat through. Remove from oven and top with a dollop of mustard aioli and two thin slices of chives.

Lemon Herb Aioli

Lemon Herb Slaw

1 cup mayonnaise
zest of two lemons
juice of three lemons
2 Tablespoons grainy mustard
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup chopped dill
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Whisk together.

Crab Cakes Take Two

• Crab cakes
• Roasted sweet corn and cherry tomato salad
• Pickled watermelon radish
• Lemon herb aioli
• Microgreens

Dill Aioli

The name aioli is often interchanged on menus with the word mayo or mayonnaise, but in truth, aioli is a special variety of mayonnaise that always includes garlic and is made a special way. Either way, both aioli and mayo can come in a wide range of flavors and they are both delicious. Composed of an egg and oil emulsion, it forms a very thick, rich condiment that pairs well with anything from fish to fries to chicken and pasta dishes.
To make the dill aioli, there are a few methods;

1. Start with a store-bought mayonnaise and stir in finely chopped dill and freshly squeezed lime juice.
2. Make your own aioli, adding in the finely chopped dill at the beginning with the egg/garlic and the lime juice towards the end. This makes a really delicious aioli with a vibrant green color.
3. Make your own aioli, but stir in finely chopped dill and freshly squeezed lime juice at the end.

Crabby Cakes

• Crab cakes with peppers, herbs, citrus, and potato
• Creamy garlic potatoes
• Oven roasted sweet cherry tomatoes
• Spicy greens in orange tarragon dressing
• Dill aioli 

Brussels Three Ways

This is an amuse bouche I came up with the other day. The components are: Candied brussels sprouts, Brussels sprout chips, Black garlic and brussels sprout aioli, Pickled cranberries, and Spiced toasted almonds. 

Candied Brussels Sprouts: Make a maple syrup and balsamic vinegar reduction, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and add Brussels sprout halves. Chill and drain.
Brussels Sprout Chips: Peel off individual Brussels sprouts petals and deep-fry until crisp. Season with salt.
Black Garlic and Brussels Sprout Aioli: Make a basic aioli, add black garlic puree to color, add julienned Brussels sprout leaves. Season to taste.
Pickled Cranberries: Make a basic pickling liquor using one part white wine vinegar, one part granulated sugar, to two parts water. Add a dash of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, add cranberries. Cool and strain.
Spiced Toasted Almonds: Toast almond slivers and spice with cayenne and chili powder.

Pretty Pink Aioli

Pretty Pink Aioli
1 large whole egg
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon dry mustard powder
1 cup canola oil
beet powder/dust (dehydrated beets, pulverized into powder)
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Aioli can be made either by hand, or in a food processor or blender. Neither one is particularly faster, unless you are making large batches, which would take much longer by hand. Either way, mix together the egg, vinegar, and mustard together well. Slowly stream in the oil in a thin, steady stream, whisking or mixing constantly. Add beet powder to achieve desired shade of pink. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Note: For a garlic-flavored beet aioli, add minced garlic in the beginning. 

Pictured here on the right, it makes a great condiment for bread or vegetables. A beautiful, natural color, especially for Valentine's Day.

Pierogies

I have never made pierogies before. I have made a few other types of dumplings - gnocchi, soup dumplings. I made them for the first time today. I don't know if these are 'traditional' pierogies, but I know at least the filling is not. These are made from a soft dough made with sour cream. I filled them with tomato concassé and brunoise of swiss cheese, as I was practicing my knife cuts. Then I served them with a garlic aioli. 

Pierogies
1 large egg
5 Tablespoons sour cream
1 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
desired filling

In a small bowl, beat the egg, then beat in the sour cream. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Knead the dough until smooth. The dough will be quite soft and slightly sticky, but should not stick to you. At this point I wrapped the dough in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for about an hour, but this is probably optional unless you find the dough too soft to work with. 

When ready to cook, roll the dough out to approximately 1/4 inch thick. Cut into two inch rounds. Place a small amount of the desired filling in the center of each circle, then fold dough over and press with a fork to seal.

Cook the pierogies in salted simmering (not a full boil, or they may break). They will float to the top pretty quickly, then cook two minutes, flip, then two minutes more until they have some color and are no longer doughy. Drain well. At this point, pierogies are usually pan-fried in a little oil for added color, flavor, and texture. Serve with sour cream or sauce of choice.