Why it works: Avocado and basil match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and 189 recipes mention both. Both carry methyl cinnamate, which smells strawberry. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 4Ingredients
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Drain and rinse the white beans well, then pat them dry.
Peel the garlic clove and add it to a food processor with the beans, pulsing until finely chopped.
Halve the avocados, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh into the processor.
Add the packed basil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to the processor.
Pulse, then run the processor continuously, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it is fully blended.
Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed.
Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl and chill for 30 minutes before serving, or 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.
-
Avocado + basiltop 6% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together189 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
-
Lemon + basiltop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,820 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Lemon + peppertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together27,039 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Basil + peppertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together5,292 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
-
Garlic + olivetop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together23,449 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 clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beans, garlic, avocado, lemon, basil, pepper, olive):
- Corianderbetter flavor fit
- Rosemarybetter flavor fit
- Oreganobetter flavor fit
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beans, garlic, avocado, lemon, basil, pepper, olive. 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.