Why it works: Mango and cheese share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and 30 recipes mention both. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 4Ingredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat, soy, fish (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.
Make the pico de gallo: in a bowl, combine the diced onion, diced jalapeno, drained petite diced tomatoes, diced mango, chopped cilantro, vinegar, olive oil and some of the salt. Stir and set aside.
Make the guacamole: mash the diced avocado with the lime juice, 1-½ tablespoons mayonnaise and a pinch of the salt until mostly smooth. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
Make the patties: in a bowl, mix the ground round with the Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and remaining salt. Shape into four even patties, pressing a shallow dent in the center of each.
Cook the patties in a lightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C) in the center.
Make the cheese sauce: whisk the cornstarch with a splash of the milk until smooth. Warm the remaining milk and half the melted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming.
Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the warm milk and simmer 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until thickened. Lower the heat and stir in the habanero cheese until smooth. Keep warm.
Spread the 4 tablespoons mayonnaise on the cut sides of the burger buns. Brush the remaining melted butter onto the cut sides and toast them in a skillet until golden.
Assemble each burger on a toasted bun bottom with a lettuce leaf, a patty, cheese sauce, guacamole and pico de gallo. Top with the bun top and serve right away.
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.
-
Mango + cheesetop 9% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together30 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together14,164 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Mango + limetop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together506 recipes
Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
-
Pepper + limetop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,491 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Jalapeno + limetop 2% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together1,035 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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 (jalapeno, pepper, tomato, mango, lime, olive, vinegar):
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Cucumberbetter flavor fit
- Lettucebetter flavor fit
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against jalapeno, pepper, tomato, mango, lime, olive, vinegar. 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).
The Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.