Why it works: Tarragon and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,547 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Mayonnaise Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mayonnaise
In a bowl, mix the hard-boiled egg yolks with a wooden spoon.
Add 1 tablespoon of sweet oil and 2 teaspoons of Tarragon vinegar.
When the mixture begins to thicken, stir in 2 tablespoons of aspic jelly or béchamel and ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Once it thickens again, add 1 tablespoon of sweet oil and ½ tablespoon of vinegar.
Serve
Serve the sauce with a good consistency over a cold salad of lobsters, soles, salmon, or other fish.
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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Tarragon + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,547 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Tarragon + saucetop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together566 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Egg + tarragontop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,789 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).
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Vinegar + saucetop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,844 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Egg + vinegartop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,922 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Egg and vinegar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,922 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Hard-boiled egg yolks
- Their emulsifying lecithin binds the oil and vinegar into a stable, thick sauce.
- Sweet oil
- Supplies the fat that, emulsified in small amounts, gives the sauce its body and richness.
- Tarragon vinegar
- Adds acidity and sharp aroma, and helps stabilise the emulsion.
- Aspic jelly or béchamel sauce
- Adds body and thickness to the sauce, helping it hold its consistency.
The step that matters
Adding the oil slowly. Oil must be added gradually, waiting for the mixture to thicken before adding more. Adding too much at once can break the emulsion, leaving a runny, separated sauce.
Swap the tarragon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, vinegar, sauce):
- Tarragonthe original
- Capersfits about as well
- Dillfits less well
- Parsleyfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, vinegar, sauce. 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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