Why it works: Tarragon and shallot match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 602 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Ravigote Butter
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine the parsley, tarragon, and shallots.
Add the softened butter, lemon juice, and anchovy sauce, then mix well until fully combined.
Rub the mixture through a fine sieve to achieve a smooth consistency.
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.
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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Tarragon + shallottop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together602 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Parsley + tarragontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,563 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Parsley + shallottop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,737 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Tarragon + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,137 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Provides fat and a creamy base that carries the herbs and flavourings.
- Shallots
- Add a mild, sharp onion flavour that balances the richness of the butter.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the herbs and cuts the richness of the butter.
- Anchovy sauce
- Contributes savoury depth and salty umami to the butter.
The step that matters
Rubbing the mixture through a fine sieve. Herbs and shallot pieces can leave the butter gritty or flecked. Pressing it through a fine sieve breaks them down and removes fibrous bits, giving a smooth texture that spreads evenly.
“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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