Why it works: Mustard and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,067 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Cream Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, mix salt, mustard, sugar, and beaten egg.
Add melted butter and cream, mixing well.
Slowly add hot vinegar while stirring.
Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly until thickened.
Strain the mixture and let it cool.
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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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg
- Thickens the dressing as it cooks and gives it a rich, smooth body.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a silky mouthfeel.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, softening the sharpness of the vinegar.
- Vinegar
- Provides acidity that gives the dressing its tangy flavor.
- Sugar
- Balances the acidity of the vinegar with sweetness.
The step that matters
Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly until thickened. Egg proteins set gradually with gentle heat. If the mixture gets too hot or is not stirred, the egg can scramble and leave lumps, so constant stirring over simmering water keeps the sauce smooth.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, butter, cream, vinegar):
- Mustardthe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Chivefits about as well
- Cucumberfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, butter, cream, 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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