Why it works: Flour and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Salsifis
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Scrape the salsifis and cut them in half.
Soak them in a basin with water and vinegar.
Cook
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, add salt and flour.
Add the salsifis and cook until soft.
Strain the salsifis and set aside.
Make the batter
In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons flour with salt, egg yolk, salad oil, and brandy.
Stir in water gradually until you achieve a good batter consistency.
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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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Vinegar + brandytop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together344 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + brandytop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
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Flour + brandytop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,181 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Vinegar + flourtop 27% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,652 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the batter that coats the salsify.
- Egg yolk
- Adds richness and helps bind the batter.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and flavour to the batter.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity to the soaking water, which helps keep the salsify pale.
The step that matters
Stir in water gradually. Adding water slowly lets the flour hydrate evenly, so lumps do not form and the batter reaches a smooth, coating consistency.
“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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