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French Mustard

A mustard condiment made with mustard, sugar, egg yolk, vinegar, olive oil, and salt.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Mustard and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,067 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

French Mustard

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In a bowl, mix together the mustard, sugar, and egg yolk until smooth.

  2. Gradually add the vinegar while stirring.

  3. Cook the mixture over low heat until it thickens.

  4. Once cool, slowly stir in the olive oil a little at a time.

  5. Add a pinch of salt to taste.

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.

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. Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,067 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  2. Mustard + olivetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,950 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  3. Vinegar + olivetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,297 recipes

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

  4. Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,806 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  5. Mustard + sugartop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,424 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Mustard
Provides the sharp, pungent flavor that defines the finished mustard.
Egg yolk
Emulsifies the oil and thickens the mixture as it gently cooks.
Vinegar
Adds acidity that sharpens the flavor and keeps the mustard tangy.
Olive oil
Adds fat that makes the mustard richer and smoother when emulsified in.
Sugar
Balances the sharpness of the vinegar and mustard with a touch of sweetness.

The step that matters

Cooking the mixture over low heat. The egg yolk thickens as it warms, but high heat can scramble it into lumps. Gentle, low heat lets the mixture thicken smoothly and evenly.

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, vinegar, olive):

  1. Capsicumfits about as well
  2. Cucumberfits about as well
  3. Mustardthe original
  4. Asparagusfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, vinegar, olive. 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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