Why it works: Tarragon and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,563 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Mayonnaise Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the emulsion
Beat the yolk of the egg in a bowl.
Gradually add the salad oil while whisking.
Finish and season
Stir in the tarragon vinegar and chopped parsley.
Season with pepper and salt to taste.
Whisk everything together until well combined.
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 + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,563 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Tarragon + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,399 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Tarragon + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,547 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg
- Lecithin in the yolk holds the oil and vinegar together, thickening the sauce.
- Salad oil
- Forms the bulk of the sauce, giving it richness and a smooth, creamy texture.
- Tarragon vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and balances the richness of the oil.
The step that matters
Add the oil slowly while whisking. The yolk's lecithin can only surround tiny oil droplets if the oil is dispersed gradually. Pouring too fast overwhelms it, and the emulsion breaks into a greasy, separated sauce.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, tarragon, vinegar, pepper):
- Parsleythe original
- Dillfits about as well
- Marjoramfits less well
- Thymefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, tarragon, vinegar, pepper. 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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