Why it works: Rosemary and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 2,324 recipes mention both. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
The recipe
10 servingsIngredients
Contains: milk, tree nuts (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.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, toss the unsalted cashews with the melted margarine until they are evenly coated.
Add the chopped rosemary, dark brown sugar, kosher salt and ground cayenne pepper, and toss again until the cashews are evenly seasoned.
Spread the cashews in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Roast for 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the cashews are golden and fragrant.
Let the cashews cool on the pan for about 10 minutes so they crisp up, then serve or store in an airtight container.
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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Rosemary + peppertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,324 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Sugar + peppertop 22% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together19,398 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Rosemary + sugartop 25% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together568 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and pepper share little aroma chemistry, yet 19,398 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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