Why it works: Nutmeg and mace are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,557 recipes. Both carry myristicin, which smells spice, warm. The science ↓
Veal and Ham Paste
Ingredients
Directions
Take some dressed veal and ham^ and pound very fine, moistening with some butter melted, add some grated nutmeg, pepper, salt, and a little lemon-peel, put it on the fire, moistening it with a little good stock. When hot, press it into little pots, and let it cool, pour melted butter over it ; and when you use it, remove the grease, and turn it out of the mould. All these pastes can be turned out to be served, garnished with very green curled parsley, or anything else you please.
BEEF PASTE
Is prepared of any dressed beef you may have, in the same manner as the veal and ham.
Chicken or turkey that has been dressed is very good prepared with ham, and adding a chopped truffle, a few mushrooms ; both must be dressed, and cold ; add some grated lemon-peel, pepper, salt, and a little pounded mace or grated nutmeg much as before, and put in small moulds.
PASTES. 195
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Mace | 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.
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.
-
Nutmeg + macetop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,557 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
-
Nutmeg + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Pepper + macetop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,257 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Pepper and mace barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,257 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (nutmeg, pepper):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Allspicefits better
- Clovefits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against nutmeg, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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