Why it works: Mustard and tarragon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 901 recipes. Both carry methyleugenol, which smells clove, spice. The science ↓
Mayonnaise Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Separate the yolks and whites of the eggs, placing the yolks in a bowl.
Stir the yolks gently to break them up.
Add salt, pepper, and French vinegar to the yolks.
Make the mayonnaise
Slowly pour in the salad oil drop by drop while whisking continuously until combined.
If desired, stir in mustard or tarragon vinegar until smooth.
The mayonnaise sauce is now ready to use.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Mustard + tarragontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together901 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
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Pepper + tarragontop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,399 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Vinegar + tarragontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,547 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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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
- Eggs
- Egg yolks contain lecithin, an emulsifier that holds the oil and vinegar together as a smooth sauce.
- Salad oil
- Supplies the fat that, dispersed into droplets, gives mayonnaise its thick, rich body.
- French vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and helps keep the emulsion stable.
The step that matters
Adding the oil drop by drop while whisking. Oil must be dispersed into tiny droplets before the yolk's emulsifier can surround them. Pouring too fast or stopping whisking can make the sauce split into a greasy, separated liquid.
Swap the mustard
The recipe marks mustard as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper, vinegar, tarragon):
- Mustardthe original
- Shallotfits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Cucumberfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pepper, vinegar, tarragon. 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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