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Roasted Asparagus Recipe with Dijon Mustard Dressing

By cookincanuck · From Open Recipes · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Mustard and asparagus match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 213 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

The recipe

Serves 4
Prep10 min
Cook12 min

Ingredients

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and set a rack in the middle.

  2. Snap off the tough woody ends of the asparagus and discard them.

  3. Spread the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with the 1 tsp olive oil, and sprinkle with the 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat.

  4. Roast the asparagus for 10 to 12 minutes, until tender-crisp and lightly browned at the tips.

  5. Meanwhile, whisk the white wine vinegar, minced shallots, Dijon mustard, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp ground pepper in a small bowl.

  6. Slowly whisk in the 2 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil until the dressing is smooth and slightly thickened.

  7. Transfer the hot asparagus to a serving platter and spoon the dressing over the top just before serving.

By cookincanuck. Recipe from Open Recipes.

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.

  1. Mustard + asparagustop 4% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together213 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Shallot + mustardtop 3% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together842 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  3. Vinegar + mustardtop 4% of all pairs
    Aroma overlaplow
    Mentioned together14,067 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  4. Shallot + asparagustop 4% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together137 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-octenal (fatty, green).

  5. Vinegar + olivetop 4% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapmoderate
    Mentioned together10,843 recipes

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

Vinegar and mustard share little aroma chemistry, yet 14,067 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

Flavor stand-ins for the shallot

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (white wine, vinegar, mustard, pepper, olive, asparagus):

  1. Capsicumbetter flavor fit
  2. Tomatobetter flavor fit
  3. Broccoliabout as good a flavor fit
  4. Shallotthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against white wine, vinegar, mustard, pepper, olive, asparagus. 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).