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California Goat Cheese Pesto

A fresh pesto made with goat cheese, parsley, oregano, water, mustard, pepper, and salt.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

California Goat Cheese Pesto

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times.

  2. Then process until fairly smooth, or to the desired consistency, scraping down the sides occasionally.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

118Calories
7 gProtein
9 gFat
4 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Goat Cheese1 oz (28g)103
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

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. Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  2. Parsley + oreganotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,184 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  3. Oregano + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,449 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  4. Parsley + mustardtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,588 recipes

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

  5. Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,430 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Soft goat cheese
Provides creamy body and a tangy flavour that carries the herbs.
Flat-leaf parsley
Supplies the bulk of the green colour and fresh, grassy flavour.
Fresh oregano
Adds a warm, aromatic herbal note that stands out against the parsley.
Dijon mustard
Adds sharpness that balances the richness of the cheese.

The step that matters

Processing to the right consistency. Over-processing can heat the herbs and turn the pesto dull and bitter, while under-processing leaves lumps of leaf and cheese. Pulsing first breaks the leaves down gently, and scraping the sides ensures an even blend.

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (goat cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper):

  1. Carrotfits better
  2. Eggplantfits better
  3. Capsicumfits better
  4. Mustardthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against goat cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper. 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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