Name: Gravy, Shallot
Ingredients: 3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced; 3 tablespoons best French vinegar; ¼ pint clear brown gravy; 2 pinches salt; 2 grains cayenne pepper

Why it works: Shallot and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,898 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Gravy, Shallot

Ingredients

3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons best French vinegar
¼ pint clear brown gravy
2 pinches salt
2 grains cayenne pepper

Directions

In a saucepan, combine the sliced shallots and French vinegar.
Boil for 5 minutes.
Add the clear brown gravy, salt, and cayenne pepper.
Boil for an additional 5 minutes.
Serve hot.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

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.

Shallot + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,898 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Shallot + vinegartop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,374 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,814 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Shallots: Provide the aromatic, mildly sweet flavour base that the gravy carries.
French vinegar: Adds acidity that sharpens the gravy and balances its richness.
Clear brown gravy: Supplies the liquid body and savoury meaty flavour of the sauce.