Name: Fresh Tomato Napoleon
Ingredients: 4 medium-sized fresh tomatoes; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1½ tbsp lemon juice; ¼ tsp powdered mustard; ¼ tsp salt; ¼ tsp sugar; ⅛ tsp ground black pepper; 4 cups mixture of torn baby lettuces or other bite-sized salad greens; ½ cup crumbled goat or feta cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 oz)

Why it works: Mustard and lettuce match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,356 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Fresh Tomato Napoleon

Ingredients

4 medium-sized fresh tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
1½ tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp powdered mustard
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp sugar
⅛ tsp ground black pepper
4 cups mixture of torn baby lettuces or other bite-sized salad greens
½ cup crumbled goat or feta cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 oz)

Directions

Prepare

Use tomatoes held at room temperature until fully ripe.
Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each tomato and discard; then cut remaining tomatoes into 4 slices each; set aside.
In a small bowl, mix oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt and sugar until well blended for dressing.
In a medium bowl, toss greens with about a tablespoon of the dressing.

Assemble and serve

On each of 4 plates, place a bottom tomato slice.
Sprinkle lightly with cheese and greens.
Repeat layering 3 more times ending with the top tomato slice.
Drizzle with remaining dressing.
Serve as an appetizer, with grilled beef or chicken, on a salad plate with cheese and fish salad, etc.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

414Calories

16 gProtein

30 gFat

25 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 11 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Feta Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Mozzarella Cheese	1 oz (28g)	85
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Lettuce	1 cup shredded (36g)	5
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	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.

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.

Mustard + lettucetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,356 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,539 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together27,047 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Olive + lettucetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,580 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Olive + feta cheesetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,482 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (apple, fatty).

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

What each ingredient does

Tomatoes: Provide the juicy, acidic base layers that carry the dressing and cheese.
Olive oil: Adds fat and richness to the dressing, carrying flavor across the greens and tomato.
Lemon juice: Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the sweetness of the tomatoes.
Powdered mustard: Helps emulsify the dressing so the oil and lemon juice blend smoothly.
Cheese: Adds salty, savory richness that contrasts with the acidic tomatoes.
Salad greens: Add fresh texture and bulk between the tomato layers.

The step that matters

Use fully ripe tomatoes at room temperature. Cold tomatoes have muted flavor and firmer texture, and ripe fruit at room temperature is juicier and sweeter, which makes the layers taste balanced.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, olive, mustard, sugar, pepper, lettuce, feta cheese):

Avocadofits better
Limefits about as well
Cherryfits about as well
Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, olive, mustard, sugar, pepper, lettuce, feta 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.

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Fresh Tomato Napoleon