Why it works: Pepper and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,047 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Marie Paidar
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mayonnaise
Beat seven yolks, two whole eggs, one cup olive oil, one cup cream, one-eighth teaspoon red pepper, three tablespoons vinegar, juice of one lemon, one teaspoon salt, and one teaspoon mustard together well.
Place the mixture in a double boiler over boiling water and cook until thick, stirring constantly.
Remove from stove.
Finish
If too thick when ready to use, add a little cream.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Olive + lemontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,922 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Olive + mustardtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,950 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Pepper + mustardtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify the oil and cream and thicken the mixture as they cook.
- Whole eggs
- Add body and help the mixture set as it cooks.
- Olive oil
- Provides fat that gives the mayonnaise its rich texture.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and softness, and can thin the mayonnaise when it is too thick.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that gives the mayonnaise its tang.
- Mustard
- Helps hold the emulsion together and adds sharpness.
The step that matters
Cooking in the double boiler. Stirring constantly over gently boiling water heats the egg proteins slowly so they thicken without scrambling. Too much heat can curdle the eggs, so the mixture must be removed once thick.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, cream, pepper, vinegar, mustard, egg):
- Avocadofits about as well
- Lemonthe original
- Limefits about as well
- Cherryfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against olive, cream, pepper, vinegar, mustard, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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