Name: Potted Haricot Beans
Ingredients: 1 pint cold boiled Haricot Beans; 3-4 oz grated Cheshire cheese (or any well-flavored cheese); 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs; 2 oz butter; salt to taste; cayenne to taste; nutmeg to taste

Why it works: Cheese and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,962 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓

Potted Haricot Beans

Ingredients

Directions

Make the spread

Pound the cold boiled Haricot Beans in a mortar.
Add the grated cheese, breadcrumbs, butter, salt, cayenne, and nutmeg, then mix thoroughly.

Pot and serve

Fill small jars with the mixture.
Pour warm butter over the top.
Serve as a savory spread for luncheon.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Cheese + buttertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,962 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Beans + nutmegtop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together267 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Beans + cheesetop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together741 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Butter + nutmegtop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together24,377 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Beans + buttertop 19% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,799 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Haricot beans: Form the bulk of the spread and give it a soft, mashable body.
Cheshire cheese: Adds savory flavor and richness that carries the spread.
Breadcrumbs: Absorb moisture and help the mixture hold together as a spread.
Butter: Adds fat for smooth texture and richness, and the warm topping seals the jars.