Why it works: Lettuce and mustard match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,356 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Chop the lettuce and place it in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine vinegar, cream, mustard, sugar, salt, and egg yolk.
Beat the mixture until well combined.
Dress and serve
Pour the dressing over the chopped lettuce and serve.
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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Lettuce + mustardtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,356 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Lettuce + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,370 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolk
- Emulsifies the cream and vinegar, helping the dressing hold together smoothly.
- Cream
- Adds richness and body, softening the sharpness of the vinegar.
- Vinegar
- Provides acidity that gives the dressing its tang.
- Mustard
- Acts as an emulsifier and adds sharp flavour that balances the dressing.
- Sugar
- Balances the acidity of the vinegar with a touch of sweetness.
The step that matters
Beat the mixture until well combined. Vinegar and cream do not mix on their own. Thorough beating disperses the egg yolk and mustard so the dressing becomes smooth and stays emulsified rather than separating.
Swap the lettuce
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, cream, mustard, sugar, egg):
- Horseradishfits better
- Shallotfits about as well
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Lettucethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, cream, mustard, sugar, egg. 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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