Julia Child Aioli Recipe

Garlic lovers, this is your sauce. Julia Child Aioli is Provence in a bowl: raw garlic pounded to a paste, olive oil worked in drop by drop until you have a thick, pungent, golden emulsion. It’s mayonnaise’s bold cousin from the south of France.

Julia’s aioli recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking (pages 91-92) comes with a warning: “This must be made traditionally with a mortar and pestle for proper taste and consistency, the blender produces a raw, bitter garlic taste.” She wasn’t being precious. The mortar mellows the garlic and gives the sauce a soul that machines can’t replicate.

The first time I made aioli properly, with a mortar and pestle, I understood. The garlic transforms. It becomes deep and rich instead of sharp and angry.

What is aioli? The garlic mayonnaise of Provence. Traditionally made by pounding garlic with a mortar and pestle, then emulsifying with olive oil. Served with fish, vegetables, and the famous Grand Aïoli feast.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Garlic at its finest: Pounding mellows raw garlic into something deep and complex.
• Authentic Provençal tradition: The sauce that defines a region.
• Simpler than it sounds: Mortar, garlic, oil, patience.
• Pairs with everything: Fish, vegetables, bread, potatoes.
• Impressive and rustic: The kind of thing that makes guests feel transported.

Mortar and Pestle vs. Blender

Julia was firm: mortar and pestle is the only right way.

Mortar and Pestle	Blender/Processor
Mellow, complex garlic flavor	Sharp, bitter garlic taste
Traditional texture	Over-processed
15 minutes of pounding	2 minutes
Worth it	Acceptable in emergencies

If you don’t have a mortar, use the blender method from the mayonnaise recipe and add minced garlic. It works, but it’s not the same.

Julia Child Aioli Ingredients

From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1, Pages 91-92. Makes 1½ cups.

• 4-8 garlic cloves (to taste)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2-3 Tb fresh breadcrumbs, soaked in water and squeezed dry
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 1½ cups extra virgin olive oil
• Lemon juice to taste

Equipment:

• Large mortar and pestle (essential)
• Small bowl or measuring cup for drizzling oil

How To Make Julia Child Aioli

Step 1: Pound the Garlic

1. Start with garlic and salt: Drop garlic cloves and salt into dry mortar.
2. Pound to a smooth paste: Work the pestle in circles, grinding against the sides. Takes 2-3 minutes. Must be completely smooth with no chunks.

Step 2: Add Bread and Yolk

3. Add soaked bread: The bread helps stabilize the emulsion. Pound until incorporated.
4. Add egg yolk: Pound until mixture is thick and sticky.

Step 3: Add Oil Drop by Drop

5. Start with drops: Using one hand on the pestle, drip oil from a spoon with the other. Work each addition in before adding more.
6. Pound constantly: Keep the pestle moving in circles, pressing against the sides.
7. After ½ cup, it thickens: The emulsion has formed. You can add oil slightly faster now.
8. Continue until thick and glossy: All oil should be incorporated.

Step 4: Season

9. Add lemon juice: Just a little to brighten.
10. Taste and adjust: More salt? More lemon? Trust your palate.

Recipe Tips

• No chunks of garlic: Pound until completely pureed. Raw chunks make it harsh.
• Bread is your friend: Soaked breadcrumbs help the emulsion form and stabilize.
• Drops, not streams: The first half of the oil must go in slowly.
• Room temperature everything: Cold eggs and oil don’t emulsify well.
• Good olive oil matters: You’ll taste it. Use something fruity, not harsh.
• Patience is the technique: This takes 15 minutes of steady work. Don’t rush.

If It Breaks

Same rescue as mayonnaise:

1. Clean mortar, add 1 tsp mustard and 1 Tb broken aioli.
2. Pound until thick.
3. Add rest of broken sauce, one teaspoon at a time.
4. It will come back.

Traditional Aioli Pairings

Le Grand Aïoli: The famous Provençal feast. Platters of:

• Poached salt cod
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Boiled potatoes
• Steamed vegetables (carrots, green beans, artichokes)
• Aioli in the center for dipping

Other Uses:

• Bouillabaisse (stirred into broth or spread on croutons)
• Grilled fish
• Crudités
• Roasted vegetables
• Spread on sandwiches
• Stirred into soups for richness

How To Store

• Refrigerator: Covered, up to 1 week. Garlic flavor intensifies over time.
• Bring to room temperature before serving: Cold aioli is too thick.
• Raw egg note: Uses raw yolk. Use fresh eggs from a trusted source.

Nutrition Facts

Per 1 Tb serving:

• Calories: 120 kcal
• Protein: 0g
• Total Fat: 14g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Carbohydrates: 0g
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 0g
• Sodium: 25mg
• Cholesterol: 10mg

FAQs

Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1 by Julia Child, Pages 91-92

– Claire