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Scrambled Eggs, with Asparagus-tops

Scrambled eggs mixed with cooked asparagus tops, cooked in butter, seasoned with salt and pepper.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓

Scrambled Eggs, with Asparagus-tops

Ingredients

Directions

The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.

Prepare

  1. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until well combined.

  2. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.

Cook and serve

  1. Add the cooked asparagus tops to the skillet and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

  2. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and gently stir until the eggs are just set.

  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  2. Asparagus + peppertop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,968 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Milk + asparagustop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together650 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

  4. Egg + asparagustop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,338 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  5. Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked 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

Eggs
Set into soft curds that give the scrambled eggs their structure.
Milk
Adds moisture and softness, keeping the eggs tender as they set.
Butter
Adds fat and richness and helps keep the eggs from sticking to the skillet.
Asparagus tops
Add a green, slightly grassy flavour and a tender bite.

The step that matters

Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and gently stir until the eggs are just set.. Eggs turn rubbery when overcooked because the proteins tighten and squeeze out water. Stirring gently over moderate heat and removing the pan while the eggs still look slightly glossy keeps them soft and moist.

Swap the asparagus

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, milk, butter, pepper):

  1. Capsicumfits about as well
  2. Potatofits about as well
  3. Asparagusthe original
  4. Chivefits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against egg, milk, butter, pepper. 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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