Happy Bastille Day!

Any excuse for a party, right? I know I have lots of French blood in my veins, so I think I'm good.

I'm scanning for you the pages of a Bastille Day party from the brilliant mind of Ms. Martha Stewart. Her Living Magazine has been a source of countless tear sheets for me over the years. Not sure about the year, but it must have been around 2002. I pull these gorgeous photo spreads of food and parties and keep them in a file for future reference. My husband thinks it's a little silly and that I'll never use all the magazine tear sheets I pull, but I do use them almost every time I entertain. And now here I am sharing them with you!

The beautiful platter with boiled fingerling potatoes; blue crab claws; red and golden beets; steamed baby zucchini, pencil asparagus and carrots; teardrop tomatoes and lettuce wedges served with Martha's Le Grand Aioli is absolutely breathtaking. The French are genius and so is Martha's aioli. Her recipe is below.

Martha Stewart's Le Grand Aioli

makes about 1 cup

2 garlic cloves

3 large egg yolks

coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 canola oil

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons cold water

1. Mince garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add egg yolks, a pinch of salt, and mustard; process to combine. With machine running, slowly pour in about half the canola oil through the feed tube, a few drops at a time. Stop to make sure the sauce is thickening, and scrape sides of the bowl with rubber spatula.

2. Add 4 teaspoons lemon juice. Resume processing; slowly pour in remaining canola oil and the olive oil. Season with salt and remaining lemon juice, and add the water; process 10 seconds more. If serving immediately, transfer to serving bowls. Aioli can be stored in airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 days.

Note: Raw eggs should not be used in food prepared for pregnant women, babies, young children, the elderly, or anyone else whose health is compromised.