Steamed Artichokes with Garlic Mayonnaise

Recipe: Steamed Artichokes with Garlic Mayonnaise
Page: 251
Date Cooked: October 5, 2010

When I started this project I realized that the task was daunting - cooking every recipe takes time and dedication. However, the one thing that put me at ease was the vegetable recipe section in "A Great American Cook," where the directions are short and sweet.

This vegetable section recipe included steaming artichokes and making my own mayonnaise - both firsts for me.

Ingredients: Artichokes, lemon, flat-leaf parsley, olive oil, egg yolks, sea salt, garlic

The only time I eat artichokes are when someone else prepares them. And I do enjoy them. While I have bought artichokes from the store on numerous occasions, they tend to stay in my fridge until I throw them out. All because I never really knew what to do with a whole artichoke and was somewhat intimidated to prepare them. However, I can safely say that after this recipe I no longer feel that way!

To steam artichokes was just so simple and I'm somewhat disappointed no one informed me of this sooner. I cut about one inch from the top of the artichoke, trimmed down each leaf, and then cut the stems so they would stay upright in the steamer basket. They were then placed into a pot to steam for about 40 minutes.

Artichokes ready to be steamed.

While the artichokes steamed, I began making the mayonnaise. The juice of the lemon, chopped parsley leaves, egg yolks, and salt were all combined into a bowl and then whisked for 3 minutes.

Left: Lemon juice, parsley, egg yolks, and salt
Right: Components after being whisked for 3 minutes

Then came the difficult part of the mayonnaise making process: adding the olive oil. The olive oil is initially added a few drops at a time till the sauce emulsifies. It is then carefully drizzled at a slow pace to avoid curdling. The garlic is then added to the sauce.

Simultaneous whisking and olive oil drizzling. 

I thought I had the followed the directions just as they had been laid out in the recipe. Unfortunately, my mayonnaise never did look like mayonnaise. It did thicken, but it never had the light and fluffy texture that I wanted.

Garlic Mayonnaise

Though the mayonnaise didn't have the right consistency, I did end up with perfectly steamed artichokes and used the "mayonnaise" for dipping. Despite the incorrect texture, the mayonnaise mixture was delicious! It also went perfectly with the artichokes. The sauce gave the perfect amount of acidity one would want with steamed artichokes. Furthermore, the lemon juice, parsley, and garlic produced an amazing flavor.

All in all, I decided I have to give mayonnaise making another try (and luckily for me, this isn't the only time Jonathan Waxman calls for making mayonnaise). Again in spite of not producing a perfect mayonnaise - it still turned out to be a tasty dish. And, hey, I'm not afraid of preparing artichokes anymore!

Enjoy!