Le Grand Aioli—A Summery Supper That’s Simply Grand
If we had to choose a favorite way to eat, Provence’s grand aioli would be it. Take a batch of fresh, garlicky aioli, surround it with perfect vegetables in season, hard-boiled eggs and whatever other light, nibbly goodies you have on-hand and call it dinner. No plates or even utensils needed—just add rosé! It’s clearly un repas parfait! A grand aioli platter is a visual feast as much as an edible one, so it makes a stunning centerpiece for a summer party. It’s easy to adjust how many people it serves, as well as how heavy or light it is based on what you fill the platter with. You can serve it as a colorful, just-heavy-enough cocktail party snack, or round out the dippable goodies on the platter so generously that you can go ahead and call that gorgeous grand aioli dinner all in its own right. If you do that, you might want to have a good dessert to follow it with, but won’t it be nice to have guests that actually have room left for dessert?
What Is Aioli Made Of?
And while we’re at it, what is the difference between aioli and mayonnaise? You’ve got pressing questions about these lovely creamy dips (sauces? condiments?) and we’ve got the answers! Fit for sunny weather and good company (and, ideally paired with sweeping views of a turquoise ocean) this grand aioli platter is deeply evocative of the French region of Provence, and one simply does not talk about the cuisine of Provence without talking about aioli. Rich, powerful and used smartly (often sparingly, too) in Provençal fare, fresh aioli is so very quintessential French. In its very most basic iteration—so basic, in fact, that it’s rarely made this way—aioli can be as simple as garlic + extra virgin olive oil pounded together in a mortar and pestle. However, most aioli recipes include egg yolks and lemon juice at least, for a little extra creaminess and to balance out the fresh garlic’s sharpness. For our grand aioli, we wanted to lean into the colorful nature of this classic warm-weather recipe, and so we opted to spike our trusty classic aioli recipe with a handful of fresh herbs! Salty, briny anchovies evoke the coastal provenance of this recipe, and so we squeezed a bit of anchovy paste into the emulsion as well, but it’s completely optional. If you’d rather keep your grand aioli vegetarian (easy to do!), go ahead and leave it out.
Egg yolk.
Garlic.
Lemon juice.
Oil.
Salt.
Dijon mustard.
Herbs. Grand aioli is about celebrating seasonality! So grab whatever’s fresh at the market or in your herb garden. Basil, chives, tarragon, or even cilantro—whatever is abundant and fresh when you’re making this aioli!
Anchovy paste. Optional extra dose of salty goodness.
Le Grand Aioli Platter: the Provençal Answer to What to Serve With Aioli
A rainbow of peak-of-season produce is the star of every grand aioli platter, making it the very best kind of summertime feast we know of. When produce is at its peak, it requires very little effort to make it shine. That means that la grand aioli is a meal that can be made without generating any heat if need be! No oven or stove or even grill necessary! All that is required of you is that you hunt down really gorgeous produce. The best place to do that is the farmers market, but if you can’t do that, head to the grocery store without a list! We repeat—do not get too attached to any one idea of what you must have on your grand aioli platter. It’s all about looking and feeling and seeing what’s perfect in the moment, and then building a beautiful platter around those tender, colorful specimens. We’ll get you going with some ideas, but truly let your eyes and hands and (if you’re at the farmers market) farmer be your guide—let the concept of a set list of items go, and instead shop like it’s fun! Because hey, it kind of is! But with openness to seasonality in mind, here are some of our favorite things to eat with aioli:
The Raw:
Radishes
Endive
Avocado
Cherry tomatoes
Butter or gem lettuce
Radicchio
Cucumbers
Sugar snap peas
Zucchini or summer squash
The Pickled or Brined:
Olives
Pickled beets
Cornichons or pickled cucumbers (are out faves)
The Blanched, Poached or Boiled:
New potatoes or baby potatoes. A nice, filling touch if you’re serving le grand aioli as a meal rather than an appetizer!
Hard-boiled eggs. Or, serve these 6-minute eggs if you prefer a jammy yolk or better yet we love to serve our aioli with Deviled Eggs.
Asparagus. Quickly blanched!
Beans like haricot verts or yellow wax beans. Quickly blanched!
Broccolini. Quickly blanched!
Chilled, poached shrimp. A classic addition to le grand aioli, and a great way to make the veggie-heavy dish a bit heartier. Use our poached shrimp recipe!
Tools You’ll Need:
Stock pot for prepping the veggies and eggs.
More Low- Or No-Cook Dinner Recipes for Warm Weather
Ain’t It Grand?
Isn’t le grand aioli just a fabulous way of eating? It’s so simple, so beautiful and such a celebration of food at its best—produce that is un-fussed with and gorgeously laid out just as nature gives it to us. The sun and the wind and the rain and the farmer bring us colorful, crisp, healthy, and yep, downright joyful vegetables and we simply have to bring them home to love and enjoy them. We hope this grand aioli recipe makes you as happy as it makes us. Share a photo of your grand aioli and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
