Why it works: Mustard and cauliflower match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 687 recipes. Both carry trans-2-hexenal, which smells green, leafy. The science ↓
Celery Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Chop six heads of celery, three heads of cauliflower, and three red peppers very fine.
Soak cauliflower in brine overnight.
Make the sauce
Mix eight tablespoons flour, one-quarter pound mustard, and one ounce turmeric powder with one and one-half gallons vinegar.
Add chopped vegetables and boil one hour.
Bottle
Bottle like catsup.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Broccoli | 1 cup chopped (156g) | 55 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
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 + cauliflowertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together687 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
-
Celery + mustardtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,169 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Celery + cauliflowertop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together488 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Thickens the vinegar mixture so the sauce becomes body rather than watery.
- Vinegar
- Provides the sharp acidity that gives the sauce its tang and helps preserve it.
- Mustard
- Adds sharp, pungent flavour that balances the sweetness of the vegetables.
- Turmeric powder
- Gives the sauce its yellow colour and a warm, earthy aroma.
- Celery
- Contributes vegetal flavour and soft, chopped texture to the finished sauce.
- Cauliflower
- Adds bulk and tender pieces that soften during boiling and thicken the sauce.
The step that matters
Boil the vegetables in the vinegar mixture for one hour. Flour thickens only when heated with liquid, and it needs a sustained simmer to swell fully and lose its raw floury taste. Stirring the mixture regularly keeps flour from settling and scorching on the base of the pan.
Swap the celery
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, mustard, cauliflower, pepper, vinegar):
- Capersfits better
- Turmericfits better
- Tarragonfits better
- Celerythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, mustard, cauliflower, pepper, vinegar. 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.
More celery sauce recipes
You might also like
Cream of Celery Soup113 recipes
Cauliflower Soup28 recipes
Celery Stew25 recipes
Cream of Cauliflower Soup22 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.