Le grand aioli

Heat a pot of water; salt it once it is steaming but before it boils, so the salt does not pit the cookware.

Trim the broccoli keeping long stalks, cutting pieces to about the same size; trim the asparagus at the point where a few snapped spears break.

Drop the potatoes into the water (normally started from cold), lower the heat a little, and take them out as each is tender to a fork.

Aioli: put two yolks in a bowl, add grated garlic and the Dijon mustard, a little salt and pepper, and whisk.

Add the olive oil a few drops at a time, whisking constantly, until it emulsifies, lightens and thickens; after about half the oil is in, add it faster.

If it breaks, stream the broken mixture slowly into one or two fresh yolks in a separate bowl.

Add a little lemon; continue with olive oil, then switch to neutral oil, added a little faster, for roughly half and half; thin with lemon as it thickens.

Adjust to taste with more lemon; thin with a little water if still thick. Cover and set aside so it does not form a skin.

Lower room-temperature eggs into boiling water for seven and a half minutes.

Plunge the eggs into ice water, cracking the shells, to stop the cooking and help them peel.

Pour off some water and set a sieve over the simmering pot as a steamer; steam the broccoli a few minutes, then dress with lemon and salt.

Steam the patty pan squash whole, removing each as it is fork tender.

Peel the eggs, under running water if helpful, sliding a spoon under the membrane.

Steam the asparagus about two to two and a half minutes until just tender; salt.

Steam the room-temperature shrimp about three minutes, tossing after a minute and a half, until opaque and bouncy at the thick end.

Cut the potatoes and squash into bite-sized pieces and arrange everything in groups on a platter; halve some of the eggs.

Season everything with lemon and salt, using dry fingers.

Check the aioli after its rest of about 25 minutes, add a little heat, fill small dishes and serve with extra lemon.