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
four slices of toast, half a slice per personIngredients
Directions
Prepare
Prepare four slices of buttered toast, using half a slice for each person.
Spread anchovy paste on each slice of toast.
Make the sauce
In a saucepan, combine ½ cup cream and 3 beaten egg yolks.
Heat the mixture gently until it reaches the boiling point, but do not let it boil to avoid curdling.
Serve
Pour a little of the hot sauce over the prepared toast and serve immediately.
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 cream into a smooth sauce as they gently set with heat.
- Cream
- Adds richness and moisture, giving the yolk sauce a smooth, pourable body.
- Anchovy paste
- Adds a salty, savory flavor that contrasts with the rich sauce.
The step that matters
Heating the egg and cream mixture gently. Egg proteins set and curdle if overheated, turning the sauce grainy. Gentle heat lets the yolks thicken it smoothly while keeping it pourable.
“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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