Dairy Free, Egg Free Aioli

This recipe has been a long while in the making. Over the last few months I've experimented a lot, determined to come up with a dairy free, egg free aioli that isn't runny. Sometimes I've had six or seven different batches lurking in my fridge at once... good thing I buy my macadamia oil in bulk*! 

I didn't give up because I wanted so badly to have this recipe in my book. Sadly, it just wasn't ready in time, so I've decided to post it here so all that hard work (and many litres of macadamia oil) doesn't go to waste. :)

This is not a traditional 'olive oil and garlic' aioli (which is of course dairy and egg free), but the flavour is more like an aioli than a mayonnaise so I call it aioli. I love it with fish, or on baked potatoes, or you can even add herbs and use it as a dip with crudites (see variation below). You can, of course, also use it instead of mayonnaise on sandwiches and wraps, or in a potato or chicken salad. 

I have tried making this with rice milk but it doesn't thicken like cashew milk does, so I stuck with cashew milk. If I come up with a nut free version I'll let you know! 

So here it is... I hope you like it. :)

Dairy Free, Egg Free Aioli

Makes 300g - lasts for 2-3 weeks in the fridge

Ingredients

100g raw cashews

500g water

2-3 garlic cloves
¼ tsp fine sea salt
150g macadamia oil
3 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Method

Place cashews into mixing bowl and mill for 8 sec/speed 9.

Add water and blend 1 min/speed 9. Pour into a separate container and wash and dry mixing bowl.

Place garlic into mixing bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 7. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula.

Add salt and 150g of the cashew milk, and insert butterfly. Cook 5 mins/100C/speed 4. Scrape down lid and sides of bowl with spatula. (Place remaining cashew milk in fridge.)

Weigh macadamia oil into a small jug with a pouring spout.

With butterfly rotating on speed 4 and MC in place, drizzle oil very slowly onto lid, starting with just a few drops at a time, and progressing to a very thin stream. Take your time! With butterfly still rotating on speed 4, drizzle in lemon juice. This process should take approximately 6-7 mins.

Remove aioli carefully to small jug or jar, without mixing it with spatula so that it stays light and airy. Cover and store in fridge.

That's it! Very easy, just make sure you take your time while drizzling in the oil, as that will make all the difference.

Herb & garlic variation:

When chopping the garlic, add a few green shoots from spring onions, or some chives, and a sprig or two of parsley.

Notes:

- You will have cashew milk left over - store in fridge to use in cuppas or cooking. Makes great cappucinos!

- If you do try another kind of milk in the aioli, it needs to thicken in the cooking stage before the oil is added, or the aioli will be runny. I've found that soaked cashew milk doesn't work so well as it's thinner, so stick with this method.

- If you're wondering where I buy my macadamia oil in bulk (because I know I'll get that question!), I buy Pressed Purity (extra virgin cold pressed) in a 10 Lt container through my co-op, from Fitness Products. 

Making Butter in the Thermomix

Homemade butter tastes so much better than bought butter! Most bought butters have additives and preservatives in them, some have colours, and non-organic butters also contain residues from the drugs fed to cows, and the pesticides in their feed. By using organic cream to make your own, you can have a delicious butter that's free from all the 'nasties' at a fraction of the cost. You'll get the best savings by buying your cream in bulk. We can buy cream in 2 litre bottles from our local organic dairy, and it works out much cheaper than bought butter. Some shops will also sell cream in 2 litre bottles, so ask around. Once you've made the butter, it can be frozen in smaller batches and thawed as needed.


With the Thermomix, making butter is a cinch. It usually takes about a minute, maybe two, to change from pure cream into butter and buttermilk. It costs less than buying pre-made butter, and if you make it into a butter spread (adding oil and water and whipping it up), it costs even less! I think most people know how bad for you margerine is, and since it's best to keep dairy to a minimum, (using it as a condiment, not a main part of your diet) this seems to me to be a good alternative to both margerine and pure butter. I can't handle too much butter, but I find if I mix my butter with olive oil and water (equal amounts of each), my body doesn't mind it so much. 


This spread works well in all recipes that call for butter - cakes, biscuits, scones, even lemon butter. My mum uses extra virgin, cold-pressed olive oil in hers, but some people find the taste too strong. I usually use macadamia oil. If you're nut free, you can use your preferred oil.


Here's how I make my butter spread in the Thermomix:

1. Insert the butterfly and measure in the cream:
- 600g pure cream (make sure it's pure cream - thickened cream may not work)

2. Whip on speed 4 until it separates into butter and buttermilk. It will start to bump around, so stay near your machine and turn it off after a couple of seconds of 'bumping'. It usually takes only a minute or two, but I have had older cream take up to 5 minutes.

3. Strain the buttermilk by pouring it through the strainer/rice basket into a bowl. Squeeze the butter well with the spatula (against the side of the bowl) to get out as much of the buttermilk as you can. The buttermilk is lovely to bake with in scones, breads, cakes and pancakes (if you can have dairy), so don't throw it out!

4. Remove the butterfly from the bowl and pour about 500g icy cold water over the butter. Mix it on speed 4 for a few seconds to rinse it. Strain the water off into the sink, pressing the butter against the side of the bowl with the spatula and pouring through the strainer/rice basket again. The butter needs to be rinsed twice, or until the water is clear (see below). If you leave any buttermilk in the butter, it will turn sour more quickly.

5. Give the butter a good squeeze to get rid of any remaining water. This can be done with the spatula, squeezing the butter against the side of the bowl; or you can wrap a piece of muslin around the butter and squeeze it; or you can just use your hands, like I do. :)

6. Now make sure the bowl is empty, and weigh the butter back in so you know how much you have. Then add in that much oil and water.
Eg: If you end up with 300g of butter, add 300g of oil and 300g of water. Also add a little salt if you like. I add a bit less than a teaspoon of salt to this amount of butter, oil and water.
- macadamia oil (or olive oil if you like the taste)
- filtered water
- sea salt/himalayan salt (opt.)

7. Insert the butterfly, and whip the butter, oil, water and salt on speed 4 for about 20 seconds, or until well combined. Pour into a container (preferably glass) and keep in the fridge.

(Notice I said 'pour' it into a container! It will be very sloppy at first, but don't worry - as it chills it will set to a spreadable consistency.)

This butter spread will last a few weeks if kept refrigerated, and is easy to spread straight from the fridge.

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

I REALLY love chocolate! (Have you noticed?) I love chocolate drinks, and chocolate cakes, and chocolate cookies, and chocolate-banana-macadamia ice-cream, and chocolate sauce... I even love chocolate chicken!! (My dh and I went to a Mexican restaurant last night, and of course I had to order Mole Poblana - chocolate chilli chicken - yum!)

I've been meaning to post my recipe for hazelnut chocolate spread for a while... It's much healthier than Nutella, and to make it dairy free you can use dairy free chocolate and coconut oil - works beautifully! You could even use this amazing coconut butter (made in minutes in the Thermomix from dried coconut) instead of the coconut oil, although it doesn't turn out quite as smooth, and has a slight coconutty flavour. Otherwise, use ghee (recipe below) or just good old butter (if you can have it).

Hide this delicious spread in the back of the fridge, and then when you feel the need for some chocolate, you can spread it thickly on a hot bread roll, or some toast, or onto strawberries, and sneak off to your room to eat it! Just don't tell the kids and hubby it's there, or it won't last long! ;) 


Note: First you should toast your hazelnuts in the oven and rub off the skins with a tea towel. If you don't have time or can't be bothered, you can use the raw hazelnuts, the flavour will just be a bit less nutty.

1. Grind in Thermomix on speed 9 for 10 seconds:

- 90g Rapadura

2. Add and grind on speed 9 for 10 seconds:

- 60g hazelnuts (toasted or raw)

3. Then add and grind again for 10 seconds:
- 50g good quality, dairy free dark chocolate (70-85% cocoa organic chocolate, or my recipe), broken into pieces

4. Add remaining ingredients and heat for 6 minutes, 60 degrees, speed 3:

- 20g cacao powder (or good quality cocoa)

- 100g rice/almond milk

- 70g coconut oil, coconut butter, ghee (recipe below) or butter

5. Place in a sterilized jar and keep in fridge for up to 21 days (not that it will last that long!!!)

To make your own ghee, just cook butter for 7-10 mins at 60 degrees, speed 1; cool, scrape off milk solids and discard, and carefully scoop ghee into another container, discarding any milk solids at the bottom of the container.