Why it works: Flour and parsley are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and 16,675 recipes mention both. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Another Common Sauce of Cucumbers
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare and stew
Choose cucumbers with fewest seeds.
Pare and slice two or three cucumbers if small.
Put cucumbers into a saucepan with two ounces or more butter dissolved.
Bring to a boil.
Place high over the fire so they stew softly for three-quarters of an hour or longer if needed.
When they are half done, add white pepper and salt.
Finish and serve
Just before serving, stir in half a teaspoonful of flour mixed with a morsel of butter.
Sprinkle minced parsley, give it a boil, and finish with a spoonful of good vinegar.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Flour + parsleytop 12% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together16,675 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
White pepper + parsleytop 14% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together1,451 recipes
Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
-
Vinegar + parsleytop 16% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together6,477 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Vinegar + white peppertop 20% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together1,154 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + vinegartop 27% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together8,652 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
- Cucumbers (in the method)
- Make up the bulk of the sauce and soften into a tender, spoonable texture as they stew.
- Butter (in the method)
- Melts to enrich the sauce and carry flavour while the cucumbers cook.
- Flour
- Thickens the cooking liquid so the sauce becomes smooth and lightly body-rich.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity at the end that brightens the rich butter and cucumber flavour.
The step that matters
Adding the flour and butter mixture just before serving. Flour thickens liquid only when heated, and it can clump if added directly to hot liquid. Mixing it with butter first and stirring it in near the end gives a smooth, evenly thickened sauce.
Flavor stand-ins for the white pepper
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, vinegar, parsley):
- Tarragonbetter flavor fit
- Capersbetter flavor fit
- Dillbetter flavor fit
- White pepperthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, vinegar, parsley. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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 cucumber sauce recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.