Skip to main content
Main

Asparagus with Blue Cheese

A dish of boiled asparagus topped with blue cheese, chives, and a vinaigrette of red wine vinegar and olive oil.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 6 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Asparagus and chive match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 165 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓

Asparagus with Blue Cheese

Time10 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the asparagus

  1. Snap ends off asparagus spears.

  2. Fill medium skillet with 1 inch water and bring to a boil.

  3. Add asparagus in single layer and cook 10 minutes.

  4. Drain well and arrange on a serving plate.

Dress and serve

  1. Stir together vinegar and oil in small bowl.

  2. Add blue cheese and chives, mix well, and pour over hot asparagus.

  3. Season with white pepper.

  4. Set aside until tepid then serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

256Calories
9 gProtein
22 gFat
8 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Blue Cheese1 oz (28g)100
Asparagus6 spears (90g)27
White Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Chive1 tbsp (3g)1

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.

  1. Asparagus + chivetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together165 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  2. Olive + chivetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,633 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  3. Asparagus + olivetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,096 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

  4. Red wine + vinegartop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together575 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

  5. Vinegar + olivetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,297 recipes

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

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

What each ingredient does

Asparagus
Forms the main body of the dish and carries the dressing.
Blue cheese
Adds salty, tangy flavor and a creamy texture as it softens over the hot asparagus.
Olive oil
Carries flavor and coats the asparagus, adding richness and moisture.
Red wine vinegar
Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the rich cheese and oil.

The step that matters

Pour the dressing over hot asparagus. Pouring the dressing over the hot spears lets the warmth soften the blue cheese and help the oil and vinegar coat the vegetable evenly. Adding it to cold asparagus would leave the cheese firm and the flavors less blended.

Swap the white pepper

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (asparagus, red wine, vinegar, olive, chive, blue cheese):

  1. Garlicfits better
  2. Tarragonfits better
  3. Thymefits better
  4. White pepperthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against asparagus, red wine, vinegar, olive, chive, blue cheese. 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.

You might also like

Asparagus SoupAsparagus Soup179 recipesMacaroni and CheeseMacaroni and Cheese102 recipesAsparagus SaladAsparagus Salad77 recipesCheese MakingCheese Making50 recipes