Rouille (Provençal Garlic-Saffron-Chili Sauce)

November 19, 2013

Rouille (Provençal Garlic-Saffron-Chili Sauce) - kvalifood.com

Rouille is a Provencal garlic-saffron-chili sauce traditionally served with bouillabaisse and fish soup, spread on croutons. The name means rust, referring to its orange-red color from saffron and peppers. Regional versions vary: Marseille uses bread as a thickener, Nice uses egg yolks in a mayonnaise style.

Makes about 1 cup, serves 6

Ingredients

2 egg yolks (room temperature)
180 ml extra virgin olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves (~15-20 g), peeled
2 slices day-old baguette, crusts removed (~30 g)
2-3 tbsp hot fish stock (or water), for soaking bread
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or 1 tsp piment d’Espelette)
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 pinch saffron threads (~0.1 g), or 1/4 tsp saffron powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp fine salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Soak the baguette slices in hot fish stock or water for 2-3 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid.
If using saffron threads, steep them in the lemon juice for 5 minutes.
In a mortar, pound the garlic with the salt to a smooth paste. (A food processor works too - pulse garlic with salt first.)
Add the soaked bread and pound or pulse until incorporated into the garlic paste.
Add the egg yolks, saffron-lemon mixture, cayenne, and paprika. Mix until combined.
Begin adding olive oil in a thin stream, stirring or pounding constantly - exactly like making mayonnaise. Start very slowly (drops at first), increasing to a thin stream once the emulsion takes hold.
Continue until all oil is incorporated and the sauce is thick and creamy.
Taste and adjust: more cayenne for heat, more salt, more lemon if it needs brightness.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to let flavors meld.

Notes

This recommended version combines the egg-yolk emulsion (Nice style) with a small amount of bread (Marseille style) for body and stability. This hybrid approach appears in multiple sources and gives the most forgiving result.
All ingredients and the bowl should be at room temperature to prevent the emulsion from breaking.
If the emulsion breaks, start fresh with a new egg yolk in a clean bowl and slowly whisk the broken mixture into it.
Thin with a few drops of hot water or fish stock if the sauce is too thick.
Keeps refrigerated for 2-3 days. Contains raw egg yolk - use fresh eggs.
For a more traditional mortar-and-pestle version, work in a large ceramic mortar throughout. The texture will be slightly coarser but more authentic.
Piment d’Espelette gives a milder, fruitier heat than cayenne. Either is authentic - cayenne is closer to the Nice tradition, Espelette to the Marseille/wider Provençal tradition.