Why it works: Bread and lemon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 20% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,445 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Hashed Wild Duck
Ingredients
Directions
Cut the remains of the duck into neat joints and put them into a stewpan with all the above ingredients.
Let them get gradually hot by the side of the fire, and occasionally stir the contents.
When on the point of boiling, serve, and garnish the dish with snippets of toasted bread.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 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 + lemontop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,445 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
- Duck (in the method)
- Provides the main meat, which becomes tender as it gently heats in the sauce.
- Brown gravy
- Supplies the liquid base and savoury body that coats the pieces of meat.
- Claret
- Adds acidity and depth of flavour to the gravy as it warms.
- Bread crumbs
- Thicken the gravy slightly and help it cling to the meat.
The step that matters
Heating gradually to just below boiling. Gentle, gradual heating keeps the meat tender and prevents the thickened gravy from scorching or turning tough. Boiling hard can toughen the meat and break the sauce.
“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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