Why it works: Mustard and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,067 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Beat the eggs in a bowl.
Add mustard, salt, pepper, butter, and vinegar to the eggs.
Cook and finish
Boil the mixture, stirring until it thickens and becomes smooth.
Remove from heat, stir in the whipped cream, and mix thoroughly.
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.
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.
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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Provide structure and thickening as their proteins set when heated.
- Whipped cream
- Adds lightness and richness to the finished dressing.
- Butter
- Adds richness and smoothness to the dressing.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and balances richness.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the acidity of the vinegar.
- Mustard
- Adds sharp flavor and helps keep the dressing smooth.
The step that matters
Boil the mixture while stirring. Egg proteins set as they heat, so stirring keeps heat even and prevents lumps or scrambling. Remove from heat once it thickens so the eggs do not curdle.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, cream, butter, vinegar):
- Mustardthe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Chivefits about as well
- Cucumberfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, cream, butter, 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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