Why it works: Butter and sake share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and 18 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-furfurylthiol, which smells coffee, roasted. The science ↓
The recipe
4 steaksIngredients
Contains: milk (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Pat the tenderloin filets dry and season all sides generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Heat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Sear the steaks 2 minutes per side until deeply browned. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast 6 to 8 minutes until an instant-read thermometer reads 145°F (63°C) in the center.
Move the steaks to a plate, tent loosely with foil, and rest for 3 minutes. Pour off most of the fat from the skillet, leaving a thin film.
Add 3 tablespoons butter to the skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced shiitakes, season lightly, and cook about 4 minutes until golden and tender.
Stir in the minced ginger and garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the sake and mirin, simmer about 1 minute, and reduce until slightly syrupy. Remove from the heat.
In a small saucepan, melt the 3/4 cup butter over medium heat, swirling often, until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 4 minutes. Watch closely so it does not burn.
Stir the garlic chives into the mushroom mixture. Spoon it over the rested steaks and drizzle with the brown butter. Serve immediately.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Butter + saketop 6% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together18 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
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Beef + mushroomtop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,231 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
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Garlic + shiitaketop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together292 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Olive + garlictop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together23,449 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Butter + mushroomtop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together12,516 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the garlic
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, beef, pepper, butter, ginger, shiitake, mushroom):
- Thymeabout as good a flavor fit
- Garlicthe original
- Rosemaryabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against olive, beef, pepper, butter, ginger, shiitake, mushroom. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
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