Why it works: Butter and milk 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 ↓
Boiled Dressing I
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
Mix the dry ingredients.
Add the slightly beaten egg yolks, melted butter, milk, and vinegar very slowly.
Cook over boiling water until the mixture thickens.
Strain and cool
Strain and cool.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 6 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| 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.
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.
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Mustard + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,066 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Set when heated, thickening the dressing and giving it a smooth, rich body.
- Flour
- Starch thickens the liquid as it heats, helping the dressing hold together.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that balances the sweetness and richness.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that rounds out the sharp vinegar flavor.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smoother mouthfeel.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base that gives the dressing its soft, pourable texture.
The step that matters
Cooking over boiling water until it thickens. Egg yolks set as they heat, which thickens the dressing. If the heat is too high or the cooking runs too long, the yolks can curdle or turn grainy. Adding the liquid slowly beforehand helps keep the mixture smooth.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, flour, egg, butter, milk, vinegar):
- Shallotfits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Chivefits about as well
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, flour, egg, butter, milk, 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.
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