Homemade Garlic Sauce

Garlic sauce is a classic condiment in Lebanese cuisine. known as toum, this sauce is fragrant, unctuous, and has a consistency that is very similar to aioli. The best part is that you don’t need mayonnaise or eggs to make this spread! In fact, this recipe only requires four ingredients: garlic, grapeseed oil, lemon juice, and sea salt. You also use fresh garlic cloves, not roasted garlic or garlic confit. It has a vibrant flavor that is a wonderful acidic complement to other savory or sweet flavors.

The reason that this recipe calls for a neutral oil, grapeseed oil, is because of the way it emulsifies during the blending process. You have to allow the ingredients enough time to blend in the blender so the spread can become smooth and creamy. It almost looks like mayonnaise, but it’s not. You can use an oil that has a more assertive flavor, for example, olive oil or avocado oil. It’s best to make a tiny batch using that kind of oil, though, because you want to make sure it emulsifies properly.

As far as the blending goes, this requires a decent amount of time in the food processor. You start by blending the peeled garlic cloves and sea salt until the garlic forms a paste. In order to achieve this consistency, you’ll have to stop blending, scrape down the sides, and continue blending many times. Once it forms a paste, you add the oil and lemon juice. Make sure that the food processor is running while you pour in these ingredients. The oil goes in last because it adds a fat component that allows the garlic sauce to bloom. That’s why it ends up looking like mayonnaise!