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Sauce Vinaigrette

A cold vinaigrette dressing made with tarragon olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, herbs, and seasonings.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Colville, Jessie Henderson. [from old catalog] · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Sauce Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Whisk 6 tablespoonfuls of tarragon olive oil with vinegar or lemon juice.

  2. Add 1 teaspoonful of salt.

  3. Add paprika and a dash of cayenne.

  4. Add 1 tablespoonful of chopped parsley and chives.

  5. Place a very cold bowl and add a small piece of ice.

  6. Add salt and pepper.

Emulsify and serve

  1. Slowly add the oil, stirring rapidly.

  2. When thick, remove the ice and add the vinegar or lemon juice, chives, and parsley.

  3. Use at once.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

150Calories
1 gProtein
14 gFat
7 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Cayenne1 tsp (1.8g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Tarragon1 tsp dried (0.5g)2
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Chive1 tbsp (3g)1
Salt1 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.

By Colville, Jessie Henderson. [from old catalog]. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,037 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Tarragon + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,563 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  3. Tarragon + chivetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together589 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Tarragon + lemontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,137 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Tarragon olive oil
Forms the body of the sauce as tiny droplets suspended in the acid, giving a thick, rich texture.
Vinegar
Adds sharpness that balances the richness of the oil and helps the emulsion hold.
Lemon juice
Adds bright acidity that balances the richness of the oil and helps the emulsion hold.

The step that matters

Slowly add the oil, stirring rapidly. Oil must be added slowly while stirring so it breaks into fine droplets that stay suspended in the acid. Adding it too fast lets the oil separate, and the sauce will not thicken.

Swap the chive

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tarragon, olive, parsley, vinegar, lemon, pepper):

  1. Shallotfits better
  2. Lettucefits about as well
  3. Capsicumfits about as well
  4. Chivethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tarragon, olive, parsley, vinegar, lemon, pepper. 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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