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 ↓
Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
In a bowl, mix the vinegar, sugar, mustard, and cayenne pepper.
Add the beaten eggs and stir well.
Cook the mixture in a double boiler, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes.
Finish and store
Once cooled, stir in the cream and salt.
Store in the refrigerator; it will keep for weeks.
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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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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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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Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Thicken the dressing as they cook, giving it a creamy body.
- Malt vinegar
- Adds acidity that gives the dressing its sharp, tangy flavour.
- Granulated sugar
- Balances the sharpness of the vinegar with sweetness.
- Rich cream
- Adds fat and smoothness, softening the dressing's texture.
The step that matters
Cooking the egg mixture in a double boiler. Eggs thicken as their proteins set, but if heated too quickly or too hot they can scramble. Gentle, constant stirring over indirect heat keeps the mixture smooth and evenly thickened.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, pepper, cream, malt, vinegar):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardthe original
- Potatofits less well
- Cucumberfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, pepper, cream, malt, 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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