Why it works: Parsnip and carrot match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,097 recipes. Both carry 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells green bell pepper, earthy. The science ↓
Gesztenye Kremleves
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the chestnuts
Cook the chestnuts, shell them, and puree them.
Make the soup
Brown the chopped vegetables with the meat in butter and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
Add 5 cups water, salt, pepper and cook the soup over low heat until vegetables and meat are done.
Mix pureed chestnuts into cooked soup and boil for another 5 minutes.
Mix heavy cream with egg yolks, whip into the soup.
Adjust salt and serve.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 10 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Parsnip | 1/2 cup (78g) | 55 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Carrot | 1 medium (61g) | 25 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Chestnut | not in our table | 0 |
| Veal | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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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Parsnip + carrottop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,097 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
-
Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,173 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
-
Chestnut + parsniptop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together26 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Parsnip + celerytop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together561 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
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Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chestnuts
- Puree body and starch give the soup its thick, creamy base.
- Veal
- Browning and cooking in the broth adds savory meaty depth to the soup.
- Heavy cream
- Adds fat and richness, softening the flavor and smoothing the texture.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the soup gently and add richness when whipped in.
- Butter
- Fat for browning the vegetables and meat, building aroma and flavor.
The step that matters
Whipping the cream and yolks into the soup. Egg yolks can curdle or scramble if the soup is too hot, leaving grainy specks. Keeping the soup below a boil while whisking in the mixture helps it thicken smoothly.
Swap the chestnut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (parsnip, carrot, celery, veal, butter, pepper, cream):
- Beansfits about as well
- Chestnutthe original
- Walnutfits about as well
- Lentilsfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against parsnip, carrot, celery, veal, butter, pepper, 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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