Why it works: Mustard and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,935 recipes. Both carry octanal, which smells fat, soap. The science ↓
English Cream Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Put half a teacup of vinegar on to boil.
Pour boiling vinegar over a well-beaten egg.
Put the mixture back on the fire and stir until it thickens, careful not to curdle.
Take off the heat and stir in one teaspoonful mustard, salt, pepper, and three-quarters teacup of thick cream.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 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 + creamtop 26% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,935 recipes
Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg (in the method)
- Thickens the vinegar mixture as it heats, giving the dressing body.
- Thick cream
- Adds richness and a smooth, creamy texture to the dressing.
- Mustard
- Adds a sharp, pungent flavour that balances the richness of the cream.
The step that matters
Stirring the egg mixture back on the heat. Egg proteins set as the mixture heats, and if it gets too hot or is stirred too little it can curdle. Gentle, constant stirring keeps it smooth and thickened.
“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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