Why it works: Lettuce and tarragon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 425 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Gingham Estate Fresh Strawberry Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash, dry and tear leaf lettuce, then wash, hull and quarter strawberries.
Peel and slice kiwi, then toss all gently in a bowl.
Dress and serve
Combine honey, vinegar, oil and dill and shake until well mixed.
Just before serving, drizzle over the salad ingredients.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 11 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Honey | 1 tbsp (21g) | 64 |
| Strawberry | 1 cup (152g) | 49 |
| Kiwi | 1 medium (69g) | 42 |
| Lettuce | 1 cup shredded (36g) | 5 |
| Dill | 5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried | 4 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Tarragon | 1 tsp dried (0.5g) | 2 |
| Leaf | not in our table | 0 |
| Fruit | not in our table | 0 |
| Salad | 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.
-
Lettuce + tarragontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together425 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Tarragon + dilltop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together111 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
-
Lettuce + dilltop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together159 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tarragon + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,547 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Honey + vinegartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,586 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Red leaf lettuce
- Forms the crisp, leafy base of the salad.
- Strawberries
- Add sweetness and juicy texture to the salad.
- Kiwi fruit
- Adds tart flavor and a soft, juicy texture.
- Honey
- Sweetens the dressing and balances the vinegar's acidity.
- Tarragon vinegar
- Adds acidity and a sharp, aromatic flavor to the dressing.
- Salad oil
- Provides fat that carries flavor and coats the leaves lightly.
The step that matters
Dress just before serving. Acid and sugar in the dressing draw moisture out of delicate leaves and fruit, so dressing early leads to wilted lettuce and soggy strawberries.
Swap the lettuce
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (honey, tarragon, vinegar, dill):
- Mustardfits better
- Beetrootfits better
- Shallotfits better
- Lettucethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against honey, tarragon, vinegar, dill. 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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