Why it works: Anchovy and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,330 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Scotch Woodcock
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Place a slice of buttered toast on each plate.
Spread 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste on each slice of toast.
Make the sauce
In a saucepan, combine the cream and beaten egg yolks.
Heat the mixture gently until just before boiling, stirring constantly to prevent curdling.
Serve
Pour a little of the hot sauce over each slice of toast.
Serve immediately while hot.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Anchovy + eggtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,330 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Anchovy + creamtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together798 recipes
Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
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Cream + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Cream and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 42,166 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
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the sauce as their proteins set with gentle heat, giving body and richness.
- Cream
- Adds richness and a smooth texture that carries the savoury flavour.
- Anchovy paste
- Provides a salty, savoury flavour that contrasts with the rich sauce.
- Buttered toast
- Forms a crisp, buttery base that holds the topping and soaks up some sauce.
The step that matters
Heating the cream and egg yolks. Egg yolk proteins set when heated, so if the mixture gets too hot or is not stirred, it curdles into lumps instead of a smooth sauce. Gentle heat and constant stirring keep it silky.
“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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