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 the yolks
Separate the yolks and whites of the eggs into two bowls.
Stir the yolks gently to break them.
Add salt and pepper to the yolks.
Make the mayonnaise
Slowly pour in the salad oil drop by drop while whisking continuously until combined.
Stir in the Tarragon or French vinegar, common vinegar, and mustard to taste.
The 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).
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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 emulsifiers that hold the oil and vinegar together as a smooth sauce.
- Salad oil
- Provides the fat that, dispersed into droplets, gives mayonnaise its rich body.
- Mustard
- Its compounds help stabilise the emulsion and add a sharp flavour.
- Tarragon or french vinegar
- Adds acidity and aromatic flavour that balances the richness of the oil.
The step that matters
Adding the oil. If oil is poured in too fast, the droplets cannot be surrounded by the egg yolk emulsifiers, and the sauce can split or fail to thicken. Adding it slowly while whisking keeps the emulsion stable.
Swap the mustard
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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