Preserved Lemon Aioli

[thirtyoneknots]

So a couple of months ago I pickled/preserved a bunch of Meyer lemons from my dad's tree. Quartered lengthwise, packed with salt, let them sit. Pretty straightforward.

Yesterday I made lamburgers for my wife's birthday, as per her request. When I do this type of thing I tend towards a Mediterranean theme of flavors, and I figured that a brunoise of preserved lemon peel would make a great accent to some otherwise pretty straightforward aioli. I make mayonnaise-type sauces by hand every couple of weeks on average so I approached the task with confidence. Minced 3 small cloves of garlic, peel of one preserved lemon, small splash of sherry vinegar (since I was already adding lemon) and an egg yolk. Started with a mix of 1/4 grapeseed and 3/4 extra virgin olive oils. Halfway through it became clear that a stable emulsion had not, in fact, formed, and the sauce broke.

Undeterred, I got a fresh yolk and started it, figure i could form a new emulsion with the rest of the oil and then beat in the first failed attempt. Nope.

So I figured maybe I was rushing it and perhaps the blender would be a better idea. Same end result.

So my friend who was watching all of this asked me what was different than what I had tried before--I said basically nothing but the lemon peels and that I normally use a metal bowl but was this time just making it in the small pyrex bowl I was planning to serve it from. With her encouragement to risk wasting another cup of oil, I tried it again, but without the lemon--we figured they were perhaps interfering somehow with the emulsion and perhaps could be added once a stable emulsion was already established. Garlic, sherry vin, egg yolk, olive oil. Worked like a charm. Added the minced lemon peel (about half a lemon's worth). Tasted great. Twenty minutes later it had separated.

So what gives? Apart from adding the lemon, the only thing I had done was transfer the aioli into the same pyrex bowl I had been using before, but it's hard to envision why that would be the culprit. Indeed I've made Sauce Gribiche many times before, which has capers and cornichons in it so it's hard to see why pickled lemon would do it either. The only other thing I can figure is that the sherry vinegar I was using is either 6 or 7% acidity--but I used maybe a tbs at most.

Anybody out there able to offer some solutions? I've never had this particular problem before, and I'd like to avoid it in the future--kind of an expensive set of failures.

[Fantastic Mr Fox]

I believe the problem is the salt from your preserved lemon. Too much salt will break an emulsion.

Salt has an extreme affinity for water and extreme repulsion to oil. Some much so that you can even use it to de-grease pans and pots. People often suggest to wash bowls with lemon juice and salt be for whipping egg whites to make sure it is clean and free of oil/grease/fat.

Adding too much salt to oil and water you are trying to get together...well, the result is obvious.

Maybe try rinsing or soaking your preserved lemon a little more to make sure all of the salt is out.

Edited January 30, 2012 by Fantastic Mr Fox (log)

[BadRabbit]

Agree with Mr Fox. I always blanch my preserved lemon in boiling water for 30 seconds before adding it to anything where too much salt is an issue.

Edited January 30, 2012 by BadRabbit (log)

[thirtyoneknots]

Well that sounds at least as good as anything I was able to come up with. Thanks!

[raybeezbabee]

The preserved lemons are not your problem. I make preserved lemon beurre blanc and preserved lemon aioli regularly in the restaurant and both emulsify like normal.

[Fantastic Mr Fox]

The preserved lemons are not your problem. I make preserved lemon beurre blanc and preserved lemon aioli regularly in the restaurant and both emulsify like normal.

Do you do anything to the lemons before using them in the aioli? Do you make them yourself or buy them?

[thirtyoneknots]

I should perhaps add that these are probably as salty as they could possibly be, the amount of salt used was perhaps excessive, there was a significant amount in the bottom of the jar I made them in that never did dissolve.

[BadRabbit]

I should perhaps add that these are probably as salty as they could possibly be, the amount of salt used was perhaps excessive, there was a significant amount in the bottom of the jar I made them in that never did dissolve.

I don't think that the amount of salt used when making them at home really matters. The lemons can only take in so much salt and any process that completely covers them is going to get them to full saturation by the time they are ready. I think some of the commercial ones are pre blanched or at least rinsed heavily before they are packaged though so that could make a difference.

[thirtyoneknots]

I should perhaps add that these are probably as salty as they could possibly be, the amount of salt used was perhaps excessive, there was a significant amount in the bottom of the jar I made them in that never did dissolve.

I don't think that the amount of salt used when making them at home really matters. The lemons can only take in so much salt and any process that completely covers them is going to get them to full saturation by the time they are ready. I think some of the commercial ones are pre blanched or at least rinsed heavily before they are packaged though so that could make a difference.

Right, I was only offering why it might have worked for someone else and still be a salt issue for me.

[Chris Hennes]

When you tasted the final mostly-successful emulsion did it strike you as particularly salty? You can add a fair bit of salt to mayonnaise without breaking it, I'd think that at a level of saltiness that actually prevented emulsion you'd notice something amiss in the flavor.

[thirtyoneknots]

When you tasted the final mostly-successful emulsion did it strike you as particularly salty? You can add a fair bit of salt to mayonnaise without breaking it, I'd think that at a level of saltiness that actually prevented emulsion you'd notice something amiss in the flavor.

No, but I probably have a pretty high tolerance for salt. I tasted it for the last time about 30 seconds after adding the lemon and satisfied, left it alone until I realized it was breaking.

I wondered later if cornstarch or a tiny bit of cream might have helped stabilize it somewhat? I've seen cream work wonders for the stability of Hollandaise.

[Fantastic Mr Fox]

I think is simpler to just blanche the lemon peel.

[mkayahara]

Have you changed any of the ingredients? New bottle/brand of olive oil, different size of eggs, etc.?

[thirtyoneknots]

Have you changed any of the ingredients? New bottle/brand of olive oil, different size of eggs, etc.?

Eh, I did move recently so the eggs are potentially from a different farm, but they are always "Large". Olive oil was store brand, seemed typical of what I normally get--serviceable but not anything particularly interesting.

I couldn't bear to throw away all of that broken aioli, so I've saved it...any ideas on how to use it? I'll probably make vinaigrette with some of it, but someone suggested marinating chicken in it which might work. Other ideas?

[thirtyoneknots]

I think is simpler to just blanche the lemon peel.

I'll definitely be doing that in the future, or at least rinsing it thoroughly. I'm guessing this would be prudent for any application.

[Chris Hennes]

I doubt it's an issue with the eggs: a single yolk is enough to emulsify a massive amount of oil/liquid. I think the salt suggestion is probably the most likely, but I don't really know the science behind it, nor can I find a reference that suggests that too much salt will break an emulsion. Anyone?

[mkayahara]

I doubt it's an issue with the eggs: a single yolk is enough to emulsify a massive amount of oil/liquid. I think the salt suggestion is probably the most likely, but I don't really know the science behind it, nor can I find a reference that suggests that too much salt will break an emulsion. Anyone?

A single yolk has enough emulsifiers in it to emulsify a massive amount of oil, but a smaller yolk has less water in it, so the continuous phase might have been the limiting factor. That's all I was thinking.

[Chris Hennes]

The vinegar he added should have provided plenty of water, I think.

[mkayahara]

Was it whisked by hand, or made in a blender?

[raybeezbabee]

The preserved lemons are not your problem. I make preserved lemon beurre blanc and preserved lemon aioli regularly in the restaurant and both emulsify like normal.

Do you do anything to the lemons before using them in the aioli? Do you make them yourself or buy them?

Yes, I do blanch the brunoise preserved lemon very quickly. Regarding salt content, I also curing them entirely surrounded by salt with only a little bit of lemon juice. I am 100% sure that lemon or curing technique is not your problem.

One thing that I've noticed is that olive oil does not maintain emulsions as well as oils with less solids, though I have no scientific evidence to back that up. You should not be using olive oil in a basic aioli anyhow. I would stick to grapeseed oil or canola and drizzle VERY slowly for the first bit of oil and then speed up as the emulsion gets going. Mayonaisse technique is your problem here, not ingredients.

[AAQuesada]

The preserved lemons are not your problem. I make preserved lemon beurre blanc and preserved lemon aioli regularly in the restaurant and both emulsify like normal.

Do you do anything to the lemons before using them in the aioli? Do you make them yourself or buy them?

Yes, I do blanch the brunoise preserved lemon very quickly. Regarding salt content, I also curing them entirely surrounded by salt with only a little bit of lemon juice. I am 100% sure that lemon or curing technique is not your problem.

One thing that I've noticed is that olive oil does not maintain emulsions as well as oils with less solids, though I have no scientific evidence to back that up. You should not be using olive oil in a basic aioli anyhow. I would stick to grapeseed oil or canola and drizzle VERY slowly for the first bit of oil and then speed up as the emulsion gets going. Mayonaisse technique is your problem here, not ingredients.

I agree that it is probably the oil. When I want that olive oil flavor I'll add it just at the end where it will have the biggest flavor impact. Most of the French olive oils are pretty mild that would have been used traditionally for aioli anyway. I use sunflower or grapeseed oil as they make a very stable emultion.

You can always add the preserved lemon after the emultion is formed. I was always taught to fillet the preserved lemon once they were cured and store covered with oil.

Edited January 30, 2012 by AAQuesada (log)

[Chris Hennes]

I don't know, it sounds to me like thirtyoneknots makes his fair share of mayonnaise-type products, and you can certainly make them with olive oils (provided that's the taste profile you want). I haven't noticed any great difference in the quality of the emulsions among the various oils I use. Certainly not enough to explain the difficulty described above.

[BadRabbit]

I don't know, it sounds to me like thirtyoneknots makes his fair share of mayonnaise-type products, and you can certainly make them with olive oils (provided that's the taste profile you want). I haven't noticed any great difference in the quality of the emulsions among the various oils I use. Certainly not enough to explain the difficulty described above.

Seconded. I make aioli all the time with olive oil without issue.

[Chris Hennes]

I have not read the paper, but this abstract hints that salt may be the culprit, as suggested above.

Edit: I read the paper, it's not relevant here.

Edited January 30, 2012 by Chris Hennes (log)

[thirtyoneknots]

Though I've made fully successful Mayos more times than I can count, I was afraid that technique may have been rushed on the first attempt, and I took more care afterwards. Certainly the final one was a fully successful emulsion until I added the lemon. I personally find olive oil to be less stable once refrigerated, since it will partially solidify, but it should have worked fine for this purpose, where I was making it fresh right before the meal.

AAQuesada, that is interesting about the preserved lemon storage. I'll probably do that soon to save space.

I'm still interested in ideas about other stabilizers. Something I often (but not always) do is add some amount of prepared mustard to the initial emulsion, which Peterson says strengthens it. I didn't do that this time, not having anything suitably mild on hand and not wanting to compete with the garlic & lemon. Anybody think this might have made a difference?