Why it works: Tarragon and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,547 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Aspic Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and whisk until boiling.
Boil for 2 minutes.
Strain through a clean tea cloth.
Return the jelly to the cloth 3 or 4 times until perfectly clear.
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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Tarragon + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,547 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sherry + vinegartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together660 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Sherry + tarragontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together158 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Tarragon + eggtop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,789 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).
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Sherry + eggtop 29% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,324 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gelatine
- Sets the stock into a firm, wobbly jelly once it has cooled.
- Egg whites
- Trap cloudy particles as they cook, so the strained jelly becomes clear.
- Tarragon vinegar
- Adds a sharp, acidic note that brightens the savoury stock.
- Dry sherry
- Adds depth and a mellow, nutty aroma to the jelly.
The step that matters
Returning the jelly to the cloth. Egg white clots and cloudy particles only settle out when the liquid is hot and strained gently. Passing it through the cloth several times removes the fine haze that a single pass leaves behind, so the finished jelly is clear rather than murky.
“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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