Why it works: Vinegar and mustard are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,067 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Deviled Rabbit
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a steady oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Bake the rabbit
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Place the rabbit in a dripping pan and pour boiling water over it.
Cover with another pan and bake, basting often with the hot water until tender.
Once tender, uncover the rabbit and keep it warm on a hot dish.
Make the sauce and serve
In a bowl, mix vinegar, butter, browned flour, mustard, cayenne, and salt.
Strain the gravy from the baking pan into a saucepan and add the vinegar mixture.
Bring to a sharp boil, then pour over the rabbit, turning it to soak in the sauce.
Cover and return to the oven until very hot, about 5 minutes.
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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Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Rabbit + mustardtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together56 recipes
Shared aroma: geraniol (rose, geranium).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + mustardtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,066 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Rabbit + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,067 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Rabbit
- Is the main protein, cooked slowly under cover until tender.
- Browned flour
- Thickens the gravy and adds a toasted, nutty flavour.
- Butter
- Adds richness and helps the sauce feel smooth and rounded.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that cuts through the rich, savory sauce.
- Mustard
- Adds sharpness and a pungent bite that complements the vinegar.
The step that matters
Bringing the sauce to a sharp boil. Flour must be heated fully to thicken the sauce and cook out its raw taste. Boiling also activates the thickening starch, so the sauce coats the rabbit rather than staying thin and floury.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rabbit, vinegar, butter, flour):
- Shallotfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Chivefits less well
- Arrowrootfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against rabbit, vinegar, butter, flour. 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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