Why it works: Shallot and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,982 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Stuffed Tomatoes, Cardinal Style
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Prepare the tomatoes by removing the tops and scooping out the insides.
Combine the shallots and butter in a saucepan.
Cover and cook on low heat until soft but not browned.
Add the chopped tomatoes and mushrooms.
Cook until the moisture is reduced.
Stir in the reduced Allemande sauce and bread crumbs.
Season with salt and pepper.
Mix in the egg yolks until well combined.
Stuff and bake
Stuff the tomatoes with the mixture.
Sprinkle with extra bread crumbs.
Arrange the stuffed tomatoes in a flat saucepan.
Drizzle with sweet oil.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) until browned.
Serve with a puree of tomatoes around the dish.
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 + mushroomtop 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).
-
Tomato + mushroomtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,719 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Butter + mushroomtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,525 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Hollowed shells that hold the filling and soften as they bake.
- Butter
- Enriches the shallots and mushrooms and carries flavour during gentle cooking.
- Egg yolks
- Bind the filling so it holds its shape when baked.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture from the filling and help it hold together.
- Reduced allemande sauce
- Adds richness and body to the filling.
- Fresh mushrooms
- Add earthy flavour and texture to the filling once their moisture is reduced.
The step that matters
Cook the filling until the moisture is reduced. Excess water from tomatoes and mushrooms would make the filling wet and loose, so it would not bind with the egg yolks or hold its shape when baked.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (shallot, butter, sauce, bread, mushroom, egg, pepper):
- Chivefits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against shallot, butter, sauce, bread, mushroom, egg, pepper. 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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