Why it works: Mustard and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,816 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
In a bowl, combine the egg yolks, oil, salt, mustard, and lemon juice, and mix until well blended.
Just before serving, fold in the thick cream.
Variation
For chicken salad, substitute chicken fat for the oil.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Mustard + lemontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,816 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Egg + creamtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Mustard + creamtop 26% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,935 recipes
Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
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Egg + mustardtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,210 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Egg and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 44,316 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
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify the oil and lemon juice into a smooth, thick dressing.
- Oil
- Provides fat that gives the dressing body and a rich mouthfeel.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and balances the richness of the oil and cream.
- Thick cream
- Adds richness and a softer, creamy texture when folded in at the end.
The step that matters
Fold in the thick cream just before serving. Cream folded in too early or over-mixed can thin or loosen the emulsion and dull its texture. Adding it last keeps the dressing thick and creamy.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, lemon, cream):
- Spinachfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Leekfits better
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, lemon, cream. 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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