How to Fix Toum When It Breaks
Sometimes, even when you’ve delicately drizzled in oil and patiently made your garlic paste, this fussy sauce still breaks—perhaps because the food processor overheated the toum, or the garlic was old and dry. Don’t worry, you can harness the emulsifying powers of an egg white to bring it back together. Combine one egg white with a quarter cup of the broken emulsion and process until fluffy before slowly pouring in the rest. Although this won’t be a traditional toum, it will be delicious and creamy.
Stocked with homemade toum, you’ll never be left to suffer the whims of miserly takeout portions or greedy partners again.
Special equipment
Food processor or mortar and pestle, paring knife
Notes
For the ideal light and fluffy texture, stick with either the food processor or mortar-and-pestle method described here. Trying to make the toum in a blender or with an immersion blender will result in a thin and dense texture closer to that of a mayonnaise or dressing than traditional 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. With the food processor running, slowly pour in the remaining broken emulsion.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Toum may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
