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
Make the emulsion
In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk, mustard, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
Mix thoroughly until the mixture thickens.
Make the sauce in a cool place to prevent curdling; set on ice if possible.
Gradually add the salad oil, either slowly or 1 teaspoon at a time, whisking well between additions.
The final consistency should be like soft butter.
Finish and rescue
If the sauce curdles, add another yolk and mix well, then add oil as before.
If using for salads, add vinegar and lemon juice just before serving.
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.
-
Mustard + tarragontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together901 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
-
Tarragon + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,137 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Pepper + tarragontop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,399 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Mustard + peppertop 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
- Egg yolk
- Its lecithin emulsifies the oil into droplets, so the sauce thickens instead of separating.
- Salad oil
- Supplies the fat that forms the thick, creamy body of the mayonnaise.
- Dry mustard
- Helps stabilise the emulsion, making it less likely to break.
- Tarragon or malt vinegar
- Adds acidity and sharpness that brightens the rich oil and yolk flavour.
The step that matters
Adding the oil gradually. Oil must be dispersed into the yolk a little at a time while whisking. Adding it too fast overwhelms the yolk's emulsifier, so the mixture curdles and separates.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper, tarragon, lemon):
- Shallotfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pepper, tarragon, lemon. 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.
More mayonnaise recipes
You might also like
Lemon Sauce236 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.