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 yolks, salt, cayenne pepper, and mustard, then mix well with a wooden spoon or whisk.
Slowly add half the oil drop by drop while stirring briskly.
Gradually stir in the tarragon and chili vinegar.
Continue adding the remaining oil drop by drop, then add the white vinegar.
Rest and serve
Let the sauce stand for 30 minutes before using.
Serve over cold fowl, salmon, or salad, or in a sauce-boat with hot salmon or trout.
For variation, stir in finely chopped parsley or tarragon 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.
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Mustard + tarragontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together901 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
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Tarragon + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,399 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
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
- Emulsifiers that hold the oil and vinegar together as a thick, smooth sauce.
- Salad oil
- Supplies the fat that, dispersed in droplets, gives the sauce its body and richness.
- Mustard
- Helps stabilise the emulsion and adds sharpness that balances the rich oil.
- Tarragon vinegar
- Adds acidity and aromatic flavour while thinning the sauce slightly.
- White vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that brightens the sauce and cuts its richness.
The step that matters
Adding the oil drop by drop. Oil must be dispersed in tiny droplets while the yolks are stirred vigorously. Adding it too fast overwhelms the yolk lecithin, so the emulsion breaks and the sauce turns greasy and separated.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, tarragon, vinegar, pepper):
- Mustardthe original
- Shallotfits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Cucumberfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, tarragon, vinegar, pepper. 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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