Why it works: Flour and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Rabbit a LA Maryland
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Clean and cut up the rabbits.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour.
Dip in beaten egg and coat with breadcrumbs.
Arrange in a well-greased baking pan.
Bake and serve
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 35 minutes, basting after the first 5 minutes with melted butter mixed with boiling water or stock.
Serve with a cream sauce and garnish with crispy bacon.
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.
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Rabbit + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,067 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
-
Rabbit + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,448 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
What each ingredient does
- Rabbits
- Provide the meat that is cooked through in the oven.
- Flour
- Dries the surface so the egg and breadcrumbs adhere to it.
- Egg
- Acts as a binder that holds the breadcrumb coating to the meat.
- Breadcrumbs
- Form a crisp, golden coating that browns in the oven.
- Butter
- Adds richness and helps the coating brown during baking.
The step that matters
Basting after the first 5 minutes. Adding butter mixed with boiling water or stock moistens the coating and helps it brown evenly. Basting too early can wash off the breadcrumb coating, while skipping it can leave the rabbit dry.
“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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