Why it works: Chive and capers match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 245 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Chiffonade Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Chop the white of the hard‑cooked egg finely.
Press the yolk through a sieve.
Make the dressing
Combine the chopped egg white, yolk, chives, parsley, capers, cooked beet, and onion pulp in a bowl.
Add salt and paprika, then mix well.
Stir in the oil and vinegar until thoroughly combined.
Serve
Serve on asparagus salad.
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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Chive + caperstop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together245 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Parsley + caperstop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,550 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Chive + parsleytop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,150 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Chive + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,907 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Capers + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,381 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Hard-cooked egg
- Chopped white adds body and the sieved yolk adds richness and a smooth texture.
- Oil
- Provides fat that gives the dressing a smooth, rich mouthfeel and carries flavor.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that balances the richness of the oil and yolk.
- Capers
- Contribute a briny, sharp flavor that stands out against the egg and oil.
- Chives
- Add a mild oniony aroma and fresh flavor.
The step that matters
Stirring in the oil and vinegar until thoroughly combined. Oil and vinegar naturally separate. Adding the oil and vinegar slowly while mixing thoroughly lets the egg yolk help form a stable emulsion, so the dressing stays creamy rather than oily and split.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, chive, parsley, capers, vinegar):
- Shallotfits better
- Mustardfits better
- Welsh onionfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, chive, parsley, capers, 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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