I love toum. I’d never had this delectable Lebanese garlic sauce had it until I moved to the west coast, but now that I have I can’t live without it. If I see it on a menu, I’m ordering it. Doesn’t matter what else I’m getting – toum is essential. This version has dried apricot mixed into it, making it a sweet and savory thing of dreams.
Do I really need to make such a large batch?!
Much like mayo, toum is emulsified. It just uses garlic as a binder, rather than eggs. In order for the ingredients to emulsify properly, you’ll need to make a fairly large batch. Don’t worry though – store your toum in an airtight container in the fridge and it’ll last at least a few weeks. It also pairs well with everything. Some of my favorite ways to enjoy this apricot toum are as a sandwich spread, or with cucumbers, pita or eggs. It adds a ton of flavor when served alongside roasted veggies, as well as meat or tofu.
Should I use fresh or dried apricots for this toum?
It may be tempting to use fresh apricots for this recipe if they’re in season. While I’d normally say fresh is best, I would actually advise against it in this case. I tried that once and it did not end well. The fresh apricots added far too much moisture to the toum, and it never emulsified. So go out and get yourself a bag of dried apricots!
Apricot Toum (Lebanese Garlic Sauce)
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup Garlic cloves (Peeled)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 cups Dried apricots
- 1/2 cup Lemon juice (Fresh)
- 3 cups Grapeseed oil
Instructions
- Place the garlic and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Turn it on and blend until the mixture is puréed. If you need to, scrape the garlic on the sides of the bowl down with a spatula.
- Add 1 cup of dried apricots and process to combine.
- Turn the food processor on again and begin adding small batches of grapeseed oil and lemon juice. You'll want to start with 1/4 cup of oil, and then add a teaspoon of lemon juice. Alternate in this fashion until both liquids are fully incorporated into the apricot garlic paste and the sauce has a mayo-like consistency. This process should take around 10 minutes. When it's done, let it cool to room temperature, and then transfer it to an airtight container and put in the refrigerator.
Notes
If you try this, let me know in the comments or on Instagram! I always love hearing from you and seeing your beautiful creations.
Looking for more delicious sauces? Try my fermented passion fruit and habanero hot sauce or my pesto!
that sauce is the GOAT!! Your version sounds delicious!
come over and eat some!!!
Does it freeze well?
I haven’t tried freezing it, but I would guess that doing so might break the emulsion. You could always try freezing like a tablespoon of it for science. Should last for about 4 weeks in the fridge, though!