Why it works: Lemon and basil match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,820 recipes mention both. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
The recipe
6 sandwichesIngredients
Contains: egg, milk (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and minced garlic in a shallow dish. Add the portobello caps, turn to coat, and let them marinate for about 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and chopped basil. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat and melt the butter on the surface.
Lift the mushroom caps from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Grill gill side down for 4 to 5 minutes until tender and browned.
Flip the caps and grill 3 to 4 minutes more, brushing with a little of the remaining marinade if desired.
Spread the basil mayonnaise on the cut sides of the toasted kaiser rolls.
Layer a lettuce leaf and a tomato slice on the bottom half of each roll, then add a grilled mushroom cap.
Close the sandwiches with the top halves of the rolls and serve warm.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Lemon + basiltop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,820 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Olive + garlictop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together23,449 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Olive + basiltop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together4,868 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Mushroom + buttertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together12,516 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Garlic + basiltop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together4,805 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, olive, garlic, mushroom, lemon, basil, butter):
- Tomatobetter flavor fit
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Potatobetter flavor fit
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, olive, garlic, mushroom, lemon, basil, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
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