Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Canadian Fondu
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the butter and cheese into small pieces.
Put them into a large bowl with the bread crumbs.
Pour the scalding hot milk over them.
Make the fondue
Add the yolks of the eggs, well beaten, and a pinch of salt.
Mix well together, cover and set back on the stove or range, stirring occasionally, until all are dissolved.
Add the whites beaten to a stiff froth.
Bake and serve
Place in a buttered dish or pie plate, and bake in a quick oven for twenty minutes.
Serve the moment it is out of the oven.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| 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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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Bread + cheesetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,130 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Cheese + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,426 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich and bind the custard, while whipped whites lighten it and help it puff when baked.
- Cheese
- Melts into the warm milk to give the fondue its rich flavor and smooth, stringy body.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb the hot milk and butter, giving the mixture body and a tender, soft texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat that carries flavor and keeps the mixture smooth and rich.
- Sweet milk
- Provides the liquid that melts the cheese and softens the crumbs into a custard.
The step that matters
Adding the whipped whites. Stiff whites hold air that expands in the oven; if they are deflated by overmixing or added to a mixture that is too hot, the fondue will not rise and turn light.
“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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