Why it works: Beef and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Cecils with Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Season the finely chopped roast beef with salt, pepper, onion juice, and Worcestershire sauce.
Add the remaining ingredients (bread crumbs, melted butter, and beaten egg yolk) and shape into small croquettes, pointed at the ends.
Roll each croquette in flour, then in egg, then in breadcrumbs.
Fry and serve
Fry the croquettes in deep fat until cooked.
Drain the fried croquettes and serve with tomato sauce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| 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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Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Beef + breadtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,032 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Roast beef
- Provides the main filling and meaty flavor of the croquettes.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture and help the mixture hold its shape while binding.
- Egg yolk
- Binds the mixture together and adds richness to the filling.
- Melted butter
- Adds fat for richness and a softer, more tender interior.
The step that matters
Roll each croquette in flour, then in egg, then in breadcrumbs.. The flour, egg, and crumb coating must be even and fully covering, or the croquettes may burst or leak filling in hot fat. Dry coating helps the crust brown and seal.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, pepper, sauce, bread, butter, egg):
- Capsicumfits better
- Tomatofits better
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, pepper, sauce, bread, butter, egg. 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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