Why it works: Capers and olive match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,688 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Caper Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine the beaten egg yolks with salt.
Slowly add the vinegar and blend until smooth.
Gradually thin the mixture with olive oil or melted butter.
Finally, add the bottle of capers and mix well.
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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Capers + olivetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,688 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Vinegar + olivetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,297 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
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Capers + saucetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together678 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Capers + vinegartop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,453 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sauce + olivetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,568 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify the oil and vinegar, giving the sauce body and a smooth, thick texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharpness that balances the richness of the yolks and fat.
- Olive oil or melted butter
- Adds fat and richness, giving the sauce a silky mouthfeel.
- Capers
- Add a briny, tangy bite that gives the sauce its main flavour.
The step that matters
Gradually thin the mixture with olive oil or melted butter. Egg yolks can only hold oil in a stable emulsion if the fat is added slowly while blending. Adding it too fast can cause the sauce to separate and turn greasy and thin.
Swap the capers
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sauce, vinegar, egg, olive):
- Capersthe original
- Tarragonfits about as well
- Garlicfits less well
- Parsleyfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sauce, vinegar, egg, olive. 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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