Equipment
Ingredients
Aromatics & Base
- 5 ml water
- ⅛ g saffron threads
- 3 garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 10 g fresh red chili, stemmed and finely sliced
- 3 g fine sea salt
Emulsion
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 150 ml extra virgin olive oil, room temperature
- 10 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Warm the water to 40°C/104°F in a small bowl. Add the saffron threads and allow them to soak for 5 minutes to release their vibrant color and essential oils.
Place the chopped garlic, sliced red chili, and fine sea salt into the mortar. Pound aggressively in a circular motion with the pestle until a completely smooth, sticky paste forms.
Add the room temperature egg yolk and the steeped saffron mixture to the mortar. Mix thoroughly with the pestle until fully incorporated into the chili-garlic paste.
Switching to a whisk, begin adding the olive oil drop by drop into the mortar while whisking rapidly. You must establish a stable base emulsion before adding oil more quickly.
Once a stable emulsion is established and about one quarter of the oil is incorporated, begin pouring the remaining oil in a very slow, thin, steady stream. Whisk continuously and vigorously until all oil is integrated and the sauce is heavily thickened.
Stir in the fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavor and slightly thin the consistency. Taste and adjust salt if necessary before transferring to a serving vessel.
Chef's Notes
- Temperature is the critical factor in any mayonnaise-style emulsion. If your egg yolk is fresh from the refrigerator, submerge the whole, unbroken egg in a bowl of warm tap water for 10 minutes before separating.
- While modern kitchens often rely on food processors, hand-whisking prevents the high-speed shearing of extra virgin olive oil, which can release bitter polyphenols and ruin the flavor profile.
- For those sensitive to raw garlic, you can blanch the peeled garlic cloves in boiling water for 30 seconds before pounding. This neutralizes the sharpest allicin compounds while maintaining the garlic aroma.
- If the sauce becomes too thick and jelly-like before all the oil is incorporated, whisk in a few drops of warm water to loosen the emulsion, then resume pouring the oil.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Keep tightly covered with plastic wrap directly touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
