Why it works: Ham and asparagus 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
1 13 x 9-inch pieIngredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat (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.
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter, if using.
Bring a pan of boiling water to a boil. Add the diced asparagus and blanch for 2 minutes, then drain well and pat dry.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk until smooth. Whisk in the baking mix until just combined and free of lumps.
Stir in the diced ham, shredded cheese, chopped green onion and blanched asparagus until evenly distributed.
Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and spread it evenly.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. The center should reach 160°F (71°C).
Let the pie 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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Ham + asparagustop 9% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together100 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Cheddar cheese + milktop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,963 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cheddar cheese + oniontop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,669 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + asparagustop 6% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,210 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Cheddar cheese + asparagustop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together74 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
Flavor stand-ins for the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ham, cheddar cheese, asparagus, milk, egg):
- Potatobetter flavor fit
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Chivebetter flavor fit
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against ham, cheddar cheese, asparagus, 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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