Why it works: Butter and capers are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,637 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Caper Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Stir 3 to 4 teaspoons of capers into ⅓ cup of melted butter.
Add a little vinegar and bring the sauce to a boil.
Keep stirring after adding the capers.
Variations
For a variation, mince some capers and substitute with Chili vinegar.
You can also use pickled nasturtiums for a different flavor.
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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Butter + caperstop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,637 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Capers + vinegartop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,453 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + vinegartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,513 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Forms the rich, fatty base that carries the sauce's flavor and gives it a smooth texture.
- Capers
- Add a sharp, briny flavor that cuts through the richness of the butter.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and balances the fat of the butter.
The step that matters
Keep stirring after adding the capers. Constant stirring keeps the capers evenly distributed and prevents the butter from separating or scorching on the bottom of the pan while it heats.
Swap the capers
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, vinegar):
- Tarragonfits better
- Garlicfits about as well
- Parsleyfits about as well
- Capersthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against 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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