Roasted artichokes with Remoulade

Whenever I get together with my cousin Karen, we often end up devouring our weight in artichokes. She is maybe the one person on the planet who loves them as much as I do.

A couple of years ago we drove to LA to try and catch a taping of American Idol, but didn’t make it inside. To salvage the evening we drove around West Hollywood admiring boutiques and found an adorable little restaurant to eat at. Since artichokes were on the menu, we had to have some, and this place served it with this wonderful sauce they called Remoulade.

After a bit of research, I discovered that Remoulade is a cajun mayonnaise based sauce commonly served with seafood. It is absolute perfection with an artichoke. You could just add the seasonings to prepared mayonnaise, but I figured why not go all the way homemade.

Remoulade sauce

2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 C vegetable oil
1/2 C olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
8 cornichons (or sweet gherkins) diced
1 clove garlic, diced

In a mixer or blender, whisk together the eggs and salt. While still mixing, slowly add the vegetable oil in a steady stream, allowing it to emulsify. Add the lemon juice, then the olive oil, again in a steady stream. Stir in the cornichons and garlic pieces. Refrigerate before use, overnight is best.

My favorite way to cook artichokes is to boil them until nearly done. Then chop them in half and scrape out the fuzzy choke, drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette, and roast in a hot oven until the choke is soft. You can even sprinkle a touch of sugar on top if you want a little burnt sugar taste.