Crisped Baby Artichokes With Caper Aioli Recipes

CRISPED BABY ARTICHOKES WITH CAPER AIOLI

Steps:

• Caper aioli: Preheat oven to 500 degrees with a rimmed baking sheet on a rack in lowest position. Puree yolk, lemon zest and juice, garlic, and capers in a blender until smooth. With motor running, gradually add oil in a steady stream until mixture is thick and creamy. Season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl; garnish with more capers.
• Artichokes: Squeeze lemon halves into a large bowl of water; add rinds. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, remove all tough outer leaves. With a serrated knife, cut off top 1/2 inch; with a paring knife, trim and peel stem. Open soft inner leaves with your fingers until artichoke resembles a flower in full bloom. (Transfer to lemon water as you work to prevent discoloration.) Drain artichokes upside down, with leaves spread open on paper towels.
• Toss artichokes with oil. Place upside down on hot baking sheet and roast, stirring once halfway through, until leaves are crisp and hearts are tender, 8 to 13 minutes. Season with flaky salt and serve immediately, with aioli.

BABY ARTICHOKES WITH AIOLI

Steps:

• Cut 2 of the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a large bowl filled with cold water; drop squeezed lemon halves into water. Set bowl of lemon water next to your work area. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, remove the top few layers of dark green leaves, exposing the tender yellow leaves below. With a sharp paring knife, pare away the tough, fibrous outer layer around the base of the artichoke, then trim the tip of the artichoke off to flatten the top; you should still have about 2 inches of leaves above each heart. Drop each artichoke into the bowl of lemon water, as it is prepared (otherwise artichokes will darken).
• To cook artichokes, place them on a rack in a pan above simmering water and steam, covered, until a knife slides easily through the base of the artichoke and leaves are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove artichokes and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
• To make the aioli, juice the remaining lemon. In a blender, puree the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, the garlic, and a hefty pinch of salt. (If using a food processor, use a whole egg.) With machine running, gradually pour in the extra-virgin olive oil in a very thin, steady stream. Then pour in neutral oil in a thin stream. Do not rush it; if you pour oil too fast, mayonnaise won?t thicken. When all the oil is incorporated, transfer aioli to a serving bowl and season, to taste, with more lemon juice and salt. Serve at once with cooled artichokes. If made ahead, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate aioli and artichokes up to 1 day.

GARLIC AIOLI WITH CAPERS

Steps:

• In a 450-degree Fahrenheit (230-degrees Celsius) oven, roast the peeled cloves of garlic in canola oil. Wrap the garlic cloves and oil, tightly, in tin foil. To make the garlic cloves soft like butter, this will take between 30 and 40 minutes. To prevent scorching, add a half teaspoon of water to the tinfoil: this will keep it from browning, however, and the taste won't be quite the same. But it should protect the delicate garlic from burning.
• In a blender, place the roasted garlic with the egg, lemon juice, salt, and white pepper. Starting at medium speed, blend for about a minute until the garlic has been fully incorporated into the blend.
• Start with a few drops, rising to a drizzle, and add the olive oil. Keep blending for about 5 minutes until the aioli comes together into a thick, white sauce.
• Remove to a small bowl and fold in the capers.
• Serve chilled.