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Spicy Macaroni and Cheese with Cornichons

Yes you read that title correctly. Macaroni and cheese is kicked up a notch with hot sauce and then cooled down with crunchy cornichons.

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Spicy Macaroni and Cheese with Cornichons

Why it works: Gruyere cheese and parmesan cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 152 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Spicy Macaroni and Cheese with Cornichons

Serves 6
Prep20 min
Cook30 min

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1059Calories
46 gProtein
47 gFat
112 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 11 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Gruyere Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Macaroninot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By tastykitchen. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together152 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  2. Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together54 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  3. Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together592 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  4. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  5. Butter + cheddar cheesetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,436 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, butter, flour, pepper, gruyere cheese, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese):

  1. Potatofits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Chivefits about as well
  4. Mustardthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against milk, butter, flour, pepper, gruyere cheese, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.