Aioli has popped up on restaurant menus everywhere. It’s irresistible, but if you want to make it the traditional Provençal way, you must use a mortar and pestle and include egg yolks. This widely divergent recipe skirts those items. Instead it’s a simple sauce that brings together two indulgent favorites of mine: cream and tahini. Though you may think that adding cream to tahini, already rich unto itself, may seem akin to gilding the lily, each brings a different kind of richness. Plus I find that the cream and yogurt help balance any bitterness in the tahini. Some may fear using raw garlic, but take heart—this recipe doesn’t call for much and it adds an intensity of flavor that you can’t replicate with cooked or roasted garlic.
Use the Faux Aioli to top Beet and Polenta Cakes, or in one of these “Extra Credit” recipe ideas:
• Roast a whole cauliflower head, then serve with this sauce on the side for a dramatic veggie main dish.
• Swirl into a bowl of lentils and serve with rice or couscous.
• Add a dollop of faux aioli to warm broccoli, cauliflower, or winter squash soup.
• Schmear onto toasted flatbread and fold thinly sliced roast beef or lamb on top for a shawarma of sorts.
— Vanessa Seder
• ON-DEMAND: Listen to our conversation with Vanessa Seder, and get her tips for making modern sauces for everyday cooking on The Faith Middleton Food Schmooze®. •
Recipe excerpted from Secret Sauces by Vanessa Seder, published by Kyle Books. Photography by Stacey Cramp.
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 2 medium cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- sea salt
- Whisk together the tahini, lemon zest, yogurt, garlic, and cream in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt. Use immediately or store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
