Toum - Hermann (2024)

FAQs

How to fix failed toum? ›

If the emulsion breaks, it can easily be brought back together with the help of an egg white. Combine 1 egg white with 1/4 cup of the broken emulsion in the bowl of a food processor until fluffy.

If your toum is not emulsifying, you can try the following: While making it in the food processor, process it in 1 cold pasteurized egg to act as the liaison to help make it fluffy. You may need more oil and more high-speed processing to emulsify. Try adding 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time while processing.

One of the big reasons that your toum is thin is because your ingredients got too warm while processing. All you need to do is take a tablespoon of ice cold water and drizzle it into the processor while it is on. Let it process and watch it thicken up. If it is still not thick enough, add another tablespoon of water.

If you enjoy toum in a thicker consistency, allow it to sit in the fridge for a day and it will thicken up. Another way to get thicker toum using the immersion blender is to use more oil. This recipe uses less oil than usual, and that's because I don't like toum tasting too oily.

For some who need their toum to be less powerful, three things you can do: Leave it in the fridge a few days. Time in the fridge will take a bit of the edge off. Place the peeled garlic in ice water for 30 minutes or so before making the garlic sauce.

You can do this by placing a teaspoon of lemon juice (or water) in a clean bowl and adding a small amount of the broken emulsion, whisking to form another, stable emulsion. Once that emulsion forms, drizzle in the rest of the broken sauce, whisking constantly.

Toum keeps really well in the fridge for a couple of months. The garlic flavor mellows out significantly after a couple of weeks, so keep that in mind.

Use Flour and Water

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency.

If you use too much oil or water in your garlic paste it can turn out watery. Stick to this recipe and only use 3 tablespoons of avocado oil (you can also use olive oil) for every 2 cups of garlic cloves.

You can use vinegar instead of lemon juice. 6)Add in oil slowly, little by little and keep blending. 7)Once it is well blended, add more oil, little by little. It will start to become creamy and thick.

Why is my toum so spicy? ›

Do be sure to use the freshest garlic you can find: Older garlic tends to result is a very spicy toum.

You can try squeezing some lemon juice or adding a splash of vinegar to the dish. The acidity will help cut through the intensity of the garlic [1]. Balance with sweetness: Sweetness can help counteract the strong garlic taste. You can add a pinch of sugar or a drizzle of honey to the recipe.

The easiest way to fix a broken emulsion is to transfer the ingredients to a tall jug and add 4 tbsp of aquafaba (the liquid in a tin of chickpeas). Now use an immersion blender to blend it all together. Within a few seconds, it should emulsify into a smooth sauce.

Cornstarch: Make a slurry of half water, half cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Cornstarch is a powerful thickener, so start by whisking in no more than 1 tablespoon of the mixture per 2 cups of simmering sauce; stir and simmer for 2 minutes, check the thickness, and repeat with more slurry as needed.

The color changes depending on the oil used. With cold-pressed olive oil (EVOO) you get a pale yellow Toum, which I love. For the snow-white variety use canola oil or vegetable oil.

Most store-bought sauces contain at least some garlic, but the flavor is often dulled in the jar. Amp up the garlic factor by sautéing a couple of minced or pressed cloves for a few moments in olive oil before adding the sauce.

Do be sure to use the freshest garlic you can find: Older garlic tends to result is a very spicy toum.