Why it works: Pepper and tarragon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,399 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Mayonnaise
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and salt until smooth.
Slowly add the oil while whisking continuously until the mixture thickens.
Incorporate the vinegar and cold water to lighten the sauce.
If using, add the veal jelly and mix 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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Pepper + tarragontop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,399 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Tarragon + vealtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together217 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Pepper + vealtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,049 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + tarragontop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,789 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).
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Egg + vealtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,845 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Emulsifiers that bind the oil and water into a stable, thick sauce.
- Oil
- Supplies the fat that, emulsified into the yolks, gives mayonnaise its rich body.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the flavour and helps keep the sauce stable.
- Veal jelly
- Adds gelatin and savoury body, thickening and enriching the sauce.
The step that matters
Adding the oil slowly while whisking continuously. Oil must be dispersed into tiny droplets around the egg yolk lecithin. Adding it too fast overwhelms the yolks, so the emulsion breaks and the sauce stays runny or separates.
Swap the tarragon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper, veal):
- Parsleyfits better
- Sagefits about as well
- Tarragonthe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pepper, veal. 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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