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Mock Duck

A roasted steak coated in a breadcrumb and herb mixture.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Sage and summer savory match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 237 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Mock Duck

Oven, in the book's wordsA moderate oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Prepare

  1. Make a dressing of bread crumbs, sage, summer savory, pepper, and salt.

  2. Add butter, egg, and enough milk to bind the mixture.

Bake

  1. Cover the steak with the dressing, roll it up, and tie it.

  2. Bake in a roaster at 350°F (175°C) until well cooked.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

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.

  1. Sage + summer savorytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together237 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Sage + peppertop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,388 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Summer savory + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together671 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  4. Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together27,232 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

  5. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Round steak
Forms the meat that is rolled around the dressing and becomes tender as it cooks.
Bread crumbs
Form the bulk of the stuffing, absorbing moisture and giving the dressing its body.
Egg
Binds the dressing together so it holds its shape around the steak.
Butter
Adds fat and richness to the dressing, contributing flavor and a softer texture.

The step that matters

Roll and tie the steak tightly. If the roll is loose, the dressing can fall out during baking and the meat may cook unevenly. A firm, even roll keeps the filling in place and helps the steak cook at a consistent rate.

Swap the summer savory

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bread, butter, sage, pepper, egg, milk):

  1. Nutmegfits about as well
  2. Parsleyfits about as well
  3. Marjoramfits about as well
  4. Summer savorythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against bread, butter, sage, pepper, egg, milk. 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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