Why it works: Chive and shallot match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 450 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓
An Omelet
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the filling
Beat the eggs with salt and pepper in a bowl.
Add parsley, chives, shallot (if using), and your choice of meat or seafood.
Mix in the flour until well combined.
Cook and serve
Heat plenty of butter in a frying pan over high heat.
Pour the egg mixture into the pan and stir constantly until it begins to firm up.
Lift the edges with a knife to allow butter to flow underneath.
Carefully turn the omelet using a plate to brown the other side, or brown it under a salamander or in front of the fire.
Fold the omelet, trim the edges, and serve hot.
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 + shallottop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together450 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Parsley + shallottop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,737 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Parsley + chivetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,150 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Shallot + flourtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,081 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set into the structure of the omelet as they firm up with heat.
- All-purpose flour
- Thickens the egg mixture slightly, giving a more tender, cohesive body.
- Butter
- Fries the omelet and adds richness and flavor, with browning on the surface.
- Grated ham or tongue
- Adds savory flavor and substance to the filling.
The step that matters
Stirring until the eggs begin to firm up. Constant stirring over high heat breaks the egg into small curds that set evenly. Stopping too early leaves it runny, while letting it sit too long makes it tough and dry.
“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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