Why it works: Tarragon and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,259 recipes mention both. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: egg, milk (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Also mentioned in the method: cream
Directions
In a bowl, mix the mustard and egg yolks well.
Gradually add oil while stirring rapidly until thick.
Season with coarse sea salt.
Continue adding oil until the mixture is very thick.
If desired, dilute with tarragon and chili vinegar.
Add common vinegar to achieve a thick cream consistency.
Mix in chopped parsley or chives if desired.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Tarragon + parsleytop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,259 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Mustard + tarragontop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together573 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
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Tarragon + chivetop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together544 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Mustard + chivetop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together587 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Mustard + vinegartop 4% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Mustard and vinegar share little aroma chemistry, yet 14,067 recipes mention both: they likely 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
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify the oil into the mustard, giving the dressing its thick, creamy body.
- Made mustard
- Stabilizes the emulsion and adds sharp flavor that balances the richness of the oil.
- Oil
- Forms the bulk of the dressing, building thickness as it is emulsified into the yolks.
- Chili vinegar
- Adds acidity and heat, thinning the dressing when diluted into it.
The step that matters
Add the oil gradually while stirring rapidly. Oil must be dispersed in small droplets at first so the egg yolk lecithin can emulsify it. Adding it too fast breaks the emulsion, leaving a thin, separated dressing.
Flavor stand-ins for the tarragon
The recipe marks tarragon as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mustard, egg, vinegar, parsley, chive):
- Tarragonthe original
- Dillabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against mustard, egg, vinegar, parsley, chive. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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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