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
Beat the egg yolks in a bowl.
Add sugar, salt, mustard, black pepper, cream, and cayenne pepper; mix well.
Heat the vinegar until hot, then stir in the butter until melted.
Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the egg mixture and bring to a boil.
Store
Allow to cool, then transfer to large-mouthed bottles.
Store in a cool place for several 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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Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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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).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the dressing and emulsify it into a creamy texture when heated.
- Vinegar
- Provides the acidity that gives the dressing its sharp, tangy flavour.
- Sugar
- Balances the sharpness of the vinegar with sweetness.
- Cream
- Adds richness and a smoother, softer mouthfeel to the dressing.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a silkier texture in the dressing.
The step that matters
Bringing the egg mixture to a boil. Egg yolks thicken as they heat, but if they get too hot they can scramble and curdle. Adding the hot vinegar mixture gradually and stirring keeps the yolks smooth and the dressing creamy.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, pepper, cream, vinegar, butter):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Potatofits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, pepper, cream, vinegar, butter. 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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