Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Tomato Bisque
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the tomatoes
Cook the tomatoes until soft.
Strain the tomatoes through a fine sieve.
Put sugar, salt, and pepper into a saucepan.
Add the strained tomatoes to the saucepan.
When the mixture is hot, add the soda.
Add the milk and finish
Heat the milk in a double boiler for ten minutes.
Add the butter to the tomatoes.
Pour the hot milk over the mixture.
Do not mix until the last minute, as it will curdle if left standing.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
White pepper + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,478 recipes
Shared aroma: piperonal (bitter, coconut).
-
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Milk + peppertop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together26,984 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Butter + white peppertop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,814 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Milk
- Forms the creamy body of the soup and mellows the tomato flavour.
- Tomatoes (in the method)
- Provide the main flavour and the bulk of the bisque.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth mouthfeel.
- Soda (in the method)
- Neutralises some of the tomato acidity, making the milk less likely to curdle.
- Sugar (in the method)
- Balances the sharpness of the tomatoes with a touch of sweetness.
The step that matters
Adding the hot milk to the tomatoes. Tomatoes are acidic, and acid combined with heat causes milk proteins to clump and curdle. Pouring in the milk at the last minute and not mixing it in early keeps the bisque smooth.
Swap the white pepper
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, butter, pepper):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Parsleyfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- White pepperthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, butter, 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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