Why it works: Asparagus and ham match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and 100 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-octenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
The recipe
8 servingsIngredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Also mentioned in the method: bread
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the stuffing cubes evenly in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Scatter the cubed cooked ham and cut asparagus over the stuffing.
Whisk the condensed cream of asparagus soup, milk, beaten eggs and Dijon mustard in a bowl until smooth.
Pour the egg mixture evenly over the stuffing, pressing gently so the bread soaks it up. Let stand 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the shredded Swiss cheese over the top.
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, until the top is golden, the center is set, and it reaches 160°F (71°C) in the middle.
Let the strata rest for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
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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Asparagus + hamtop 9% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together100 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Asparagus + mustardtop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together213 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Swiss cheese + hamtop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together22 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).
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Swiss cheese + milktop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together213 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Swiss cheese + mustardtop 6% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together175 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 (swiss cheese, asparagus, ham, cream, milk, egg):
- Potatobetter flavor fit
- Spinachabout as good a flavor fit
- Mustardthe original
- Onionabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against swiss cheese, asparagus, ham, cream, milk, egg. 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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