Name: Cauliflower Duchesse
Ingredients: 1 head cauliflower; 2 tablespoons butter; 3 tablespoons vinegar; ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt; 2 tablespoons chopped green pepper; 2 tablespoons chopped pimiento

Why it works: Cauliflower and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,113 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Cauliflower Duchesse

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the cauliflower

Boil the cauliflower until tender, then drain.
Leave the cauliflower whole or separate it into florets as preferred.

Make the sauce and serve

In a saucepan, melt the butter, then add vinegar, salt, green pepper, and pimiento.
Pour the sauce over the cauliflower before serving.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

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.

Cauliflower + peppertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,113 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Cauliflower + vinegartop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together888 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,814 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together85,593 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Cauliflower + buttertop 23% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together823 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Cauliflower: Forms the main body of the dish, becoming tender and mild after boiling.
Butter: Melts into the sauce, adding richness and a smooth mouthfeel.
Vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and balances the butter.