Why it works: Parsley and tarragon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,563 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Hazelnut Butter
Ingredients
Directions
Combine chives, parsley, tarragon, and butter in a bowl, then mix well.
Add the pounded hazelnuts and blend into a paste.
Serve as a spread or condiment.
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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Parsley + tarragontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,563 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Chive + tarragontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together589 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Chive + parsleytop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,150 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Chive + hazelnuttop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together20 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Tarragon + hazelnuttop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together19 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
- Butter
- Provides fat and creaminess, binding the herbs and nuts into a smooth spread.
- Hazelnuts
- Add nutty flavour and a thicker, richer texture when pounded into the butter.
- Chives
- Contribute a mild oniony aroma and fresh flavour.
- Parsley
- Adds fresh, green aroma and a light herbal flavour.
- Tarragon
- Adds a distinct anise-like aroma and herbal flavour.
Swap the hazelnut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chive, parsley, tarragon, butter):
- Chestnutfits better
- Lentilsfits better
- Chickpeafits better
- Hazelnutthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chive, parsley, tarragon, 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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