culinary ESCAPADES

Ferment or Not Ferment…

For cooks who understand the balance of bold flavor and craveable comfort, black garlic turns a simple aioli into something quietly addictive.

The great debate: is black garlic fermented?

Not exactly. While it undergoes a process sometimes called enzymatic fermentation, it’s not fermented in the traditional sense like sauerkraut or kimchi. Instead, whole garlic bulbs are aged under controlled heat and humidity. Over time, natural reactions (including the Maillard reaction) transform the cloves into something dark, soft, and deeply sweet with a rich, almost balsamic complexity.

It’s the bass note in a sauce. The shadow behind the spotlight. Spread on warm bread, it melts like savory jam. Whisked into demi-glace, it adds haunting depth. Folded into compound butter, it makes a steak taste like it’s been aging in a secret cellar for decades.

Black garlic isn’t trending because it’s new. It’s trending because it makes everything taste like it took longer to cook than it did. And trends don’t last unless they’re delicious. This one is.

The black garlic aioli was the quiet assassin in the award-winning sandwich that helped the South Shore Soldiers capture the title at the recent World Food Championships. Its molasses-rich sweetness and umami backbone balanced heat and richness, tying every bold component together. That secret weapon elevated the dish from excellent to unforgettable, powering Chef Stephen Coe (me) of The Early Bird Cafe and Lobsta Love (Kingston), alongside Chef Dave Casey of Perfectly Flavah’D Café (East Bridgewater), to sandwich supremacy. We didn’t just compete—we became world champions.

Black Garlic Aioli - Spring 2026

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Servings 1.5 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup good-quality mayonnaise
  • 3 or 4 cloves black garlic (mashed into a paste)
  • 1 small fresh garlic clove microplaned (optional for extra bite)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt (adjust to taste)
  • Fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions
 

Optional

  • Pinch of smoked paprika or a drizzle of honey (depending on the vibe you want)

Directions

  • Mash the black garlic into a smooth paste using the side of your knife or a mortar and pestle. It should be jammy and spreadable.
  • In a bowl, whisk together mayo, black garlic paste, lemon juice, and olive oil until fully combined. Add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust—more lemon for brightness, more black garlic for depth.
  • Let it rest 30 to 60 minutes in the fridge to bloom and marry the flavors.

Chef Stephen Coe is an award-winning local chef and World Food Championships champion, known for bold flavor and comforting creativity at The Early Bird Cafe in Kingston and the Lobsta Love foodtruck.