Name: Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients: 3/4 cup water; 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar; 3 tbsp capers; 2 tbsp dijon mustard; 1 1/2 tbsp dried basil; 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped; (optional)

Why it works: Capers and mustard match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 624 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients

Directions

Make the dressing

Combine the ingredients.
Adjust vinegar to taste, since it has a strong flavor.

Store

Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

10Calories

1 gProtein

0 gFat

1 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Capers	1 tbsp (9g) drained	2
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Water	not in our table	0

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

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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.

Capers + mustardtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together624 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Capers + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,550 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Basil + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,351 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,067 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Mustard + parsleytop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,588 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).

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

What each ingredient does

Balsamic vinegar: Adds sharp acidity that brightens the dressing and balances its richness.
Dijon mustard: Adds sharpness and helps hold the oil and liquid together in a smoother dressing.
Capers: Add briny, tangy bites that contrast with the vinegar.
Dried basil: Adds herbal aroma to the dressing.

The step that matters

Adjust vinegar to taste. Balsamic vinegar has a strong, acidic flavor that can overpower the other ingredients. Adding it gradually and tasting as you go lets you reach a balance of acidity, sweetness and saltiness that suits the dressing.

Swap the basil

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, capers, mustard, parsley):

Tarragonfits better
Dillfits better
Thymefits better
Basilthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, capers, mustard, parsley. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Balsamic Dressing