Why it works: Butter and lemon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,227 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
Hollandse Saus
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the base
Boil the vinegar and water together until half has gone.
Mix the egg yolks with the cornflour and salt.
Make the sauce
Pour the warm liquid in, stirring all the while.
Put the sauce on the heat and let it bind, but do not bring to the boil.
Then add the butter, and add salt and lemon juice to taste.
Hold
Keep over a boiling pot of water until ready to serve.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 7 ingredients. The other 2 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Malt | not in our table | 0 |
| 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.
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.
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Butter + lemontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,227 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Vinegar + lemontop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,334 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Vinegar + buttertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,513 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
Egg and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 44,316 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the sauce as they set with gentle heat and help emulsify the butter.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, silky texture to the sauce.
- Cornflour
- Stabilises the yolks and adds body so the sauce thickens more evenly.
- Pickling vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that balances the richness of the butter and yolks.
The step that matters
Let the sauce bind without boiling. Egg yolk proteins set when heated, and overheating makes them curdle or scramble. Gentle heat lets the sauce thicken smoothly.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, egg, butter):
- Strawberryfits about as well
- Currantfits about as well
- Raspberryfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, egg, butter. 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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