Why it works: Asparagus and tomato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 313 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
The recipe
8 servingsIngredients
Contains: egg, milk (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 375°F (190°C). Trim the tough ends from the asparagus and cut the spears into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces.
Heat an ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes until bright green and just tender.
Add the minced garlic and chopped sun dried tomatoes to the skillet and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Spread everything evenly in the pan.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs, heavy cream, salt and pepper until smooth. Pour the mixture over the vegetables in the skillet.
Cook over medium-low heat for 4 minutes, gently lifting the edges so uncooked egg runs underneath, until the bottom begins to set.
Sprinkle the shredded fontina evenly over the top. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the center is set and the frittata reaches 160°F (71°C).
Let the frittata rest in the pan for 3 minutes, then cut into 8 wedges and serve warm.
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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Asparagus + tomatotop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together313 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Garlic + tomatotop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together14,075 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Tomato + peppertop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together17,913 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Garlic + peppertop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together27,044 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Asparagus + garlictop 6% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together604 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-hexanol (resin, flower).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the garlic
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, cream, asparagus, tomato, cheese, pepper):
- Celerybetter flavor fit
- Tarragonbetter flavor fit
- Parsleyabout as good a flavor fit
- Garlicthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, cream, asparagus, tomato, cheese, pepper. 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).
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