Why it works: Lemon and tarragon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,137 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Mayonnaise Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the emulsion
In a round-bottomed bowl, beat the egg yolk for 2-3 minutes.
Slowly add the salad oil, one drop at a time, beating well after each addition until thick.
Add a few drops of vinegar, then more oil until you have the desired amount of sauce.
Season and store
Stir in more vinegar gradually to taste, then add salt, pepper, and sugar.
For a creamier look, add a few drops of lemon juice and tarragon vinegar if desired.
Store in a bottle, corked tightly, in a cool place for longer shelf life.
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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Lemon + tarragontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,137 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Pepper + tarragontop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,399 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Vinegar + tarragontop 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 yolk
- Its lecithin emulsifies the oil and water-based vinegar into a thick, stable sauce.
- Salad oil
- Provides the fat that, dispersed into droplets, gives mayonnaise its rich body and texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity for sharp flavour and helps stabilise the emulsion.
The step that matters
Adding the oil. Oil must be added very slowly, drop by drop at first, so the yolk can break it into tiny droplets. Adding it too fast overwhelms the yolk and the sauce will split and stay runny.
“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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