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 bowl, combine the egg yolks, mustard, salt, and pepper, then stir quickly with a wooden spoon.
Gradually add the oil, starting with a few drops and then more quickly, adding vinegar in between.
Continue stirring until the mixture thickens to the consistency of very thick cream.
Finish and adjust
Finally, stir in the cream. If the sauce is too thick, add a little cold water.
In hot weather, place the bowl in a vessel of crushed ice while making the mayonnaise.
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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Mustard + tarragontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together901 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
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Pepper + tarragontop 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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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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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 yolks
- Lecithin in the yolks emulsifies the oil and water so the sauce holds together.
- Salad oil
- Forms the fat phase that gives mayonnaise its rich body and thickness.
- Mustard
- Its natural emulsifiers help stabilise the emulsion and prevent separation.
- Tarragon vinegar
- Adds acidity that balances the richness of the oil and brightens the flavour.
The step that matters
Adding the oil. Oil must be added slowly at first so droplets disperse fully into the yolk. Adding it too fast breaks the emulsion, and the sauce turns thin and separated.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper, tarragon, vinegar, cream):
- Mustardthe original
- Shallotfits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Asparagusfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pepper, tarragon, vinegar, cream. 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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