Why it works: Shallot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,737 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Stuffed Mushrooms, with Fine Heebs
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Cut off the stems of the mushrooms close to the top, then wash and drain them on a napkin.
In a saucepan, lightly fry the chopped shallots, then add the chopped mushroom stems and cook slowly until moisture is nearly reduced.
Add the reduced Allemande sauce and chopped parsley, then set aside to cool.
Stuff and bake
Once cool, stuff the mushrooms with the mixture.
Place the stuffed mushrooms in a buttered pan, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and add a few drops of sweet oil on top.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) and serve with reduced Madeira wine sauce.
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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Shallot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,737 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Mushroom + shallottop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,982 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Mushroom + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,525 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Mushroom + breadtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,536 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mushrooms
- Their cups hold the filling, and their moisture is cooked down in the stem mixture.
- Shallots
- Softened in frying, they add a mild aromatic base to the filling.
- Allemande sauce
- Reduced and mixed into the filling, it binds the chopped stems together and adds richness.
- Fresh bread crumbs
- Sprinkled on top, they form a crisp, golden crust as the mushrooms bake.
The step that matters
Reduce the mushroom stem mixture until nearly dry. Mushrooms release a lot of water when cooked. If the stem mixture stays wet, the filling turns soggy and dilutes the sauce, so cook it slowly until the moisture is nearly gone before adding the sauce and cooling.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mushroom, shallot, sauce, butter, bread, madeira wine):
- Capersfits better
- Thymefits better
- Parsleythe original
- Tarragonfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against mushroom, shallot, sauce, butter, bread, madeira wine. 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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