Why it works: Bread and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,536 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Oyster Loaf
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the loaf
Take one loaf of bread, crusted all round.
Cut off the top so that the top may be used as a cover.
Scoop out the soft part of the loaf.
Put the shell in oven to become hot.
Cook the filling
Dip about two dozen oysters in egg, then in cracker crumbs and fry until brown.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Fry or broil two dozen mushrooms.
Assemble and serve
Fill the hot loaf with oysters and mushrooms in layers.
Cut olives or pickles into slices and place over top.
Put cover on loaf and serve while very hot.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Oyster | 6 medium (84g) | 81 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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. See the original page.
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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Bread + mushroomtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,536 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Mushroom + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Bread + oystertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,545 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Oyster + eggtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,103 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
- Oysters
- Their egg and cracker crumb coating sets and browns as they fry, giving a crisp outside and tender inside.
- Mushrooms
- Frying or broiling browns them and concentrates their savoury flavour, adding moisture and depth to the filling.
- Loaf of bread
- The hollowed crust forms a container that holds the filling and keeps its heat.
The step that matters
Fry the oysters until just brown. Oysters cook very quickly and turn tough and rubbery if overcooked. The crumb coating needs to be dry and hot enough to brown, so the oysters stay juicy inside.
“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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