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, combine the egg yolks, salt, and cayenne pepper.
Slowly whisk in the oil until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Add the vinegar and cold water, whisking until well combined.
If using, incorporate the veal jelly to enhance the flavor.
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
- Emulsifying agents that hold the oil and water-based liquids together as a thick, stable sauce.
- Oil
- Provides the fat that, dispersed into the yolks, builds the rich, creamy body of the sauce.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and helps keep the emulsion balanced.
The step that matters
Slowly whisking in the oil. Adding oil too fast before the yolks have emulsified can break the sauce into a separated, oily mixture. Adding it gradually lets tiny oil droplets get coated and suspended in the yolk mixture.
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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