Terrific Toum!

With new garlic arriving in, I have had success making Toum again.  This traditional Lebanese garlic fluffy stuff is heaven, but difficult to make. Unlike mayonnaise, there is no egg to help with the emulsion process and bind everything together. More often than not, you end up with runny garlicy oil rather than light, white and fluffy Toum. But I think I now have a failsafe method (as long as the garlic is good quality!). It involves mashing the garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle, then transfering it to a small blender to start slowly adding sunflower oil and lemon juice, and then transferring this again to a bigger blender as the mixture expands. The hassle is definitely worth it! The texture is incredible (like a light face cream) and the taste is divine. Try it at the Lyttelton Farmers' Market and get addicted. It goes so well with grilled chicken, barbequed meats, potaotes, or try it with my whitebait recipe, now that they are in season.