Why it works: Cider and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,431 recipes. Both carry 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol, which smells smoky, clove. The science ↓
Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing base
Stir mustard and sugar together in a bowl until combined.
Mix in the eggs, cider vinegar, and butter.
Cook the mixture in a double boiler or over hot water until thickened.
Store and serve
Let the mixture cool, then transfer it to a fruit can and store it away.
When ready to use, mix in 1 cup of rich cream.
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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Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,431 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Vinegar + mustardtop 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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Cider + mustardtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,414 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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 set during gentle cooking, giving it body.
- Cider vinegar
- Adds acidity that gives the dressing its tangy flavour.
- Butter
- Adds fat that makes the dressing rich and smooth.
- Sugar
- Balances the acidity with sweetness.
- Rich cream
- Adds richness and a lighter, creamy texture when stirred in before serving.
The step that matters
Cook over gentle heat until thickened. Egg proteins set at moderate temperatures, thickening the dressing. Too much heat can scramble the eggs into lumps, so a double boiler or hot water bath keeps the heat gentle and even.
“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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