Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Salsify with Two Eggs
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the salsify
Scrape the salsify roots and place them in cold water to prevent browning.
Cut the roots into 1‑inch pieces and cook in hot water until tender.
Drain the water and mash the salsify.
Make and fry the cakes
In a bowl, mix the mashed salsify with 2 beaten eggs, salt, butter, and enough flour to create a thick batter.
Form the mixture into small cakes and fry in hot lard until golden brown.
Serve in a hot dish.
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.
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Salsify roots
- Provide the main body and flavour of the cakes once cooked and mashed.
- Eggs
- Bind the mashed salsify together so the cakes hold their shape.
- Flour
- Thickens the mixture into a batter that can be formed into cakes.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture to the mashed salsify mixture.
- Lard
- Fries the cakes, promoting browning and a crisp golden surface.
The step that matters
Frying the cakes in hot lard. If the lard is not hot enough, the cakes absorb fat and turn greasy instead of browning. Enough heat seals the surface quickly, so the cakes brown and hold together.
“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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