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Ham and Eggs, Moulded

A baked dish of chopped ham and cream topped with a raw egg, cooked in moulds.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Why it works: Ham and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,526 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Ham and Eggs, Moulded

Oven, in the book's wordsA moderately quick oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a moderately quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Prepare the moulds

  1. Mix the chopped ham, cream, and beaten egg white until well combined.

  2. Grease several moulds and line them with the ham mixture.

Bake and serve

  1. Carefully break a raw egg into the center of each mould.

  2. Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for ten minutes.

  3. If using tin moulds, turn out before serving, but use earthenware dishes for easier serving.

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. Ham + eggtop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,526 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Ham + creamtop 22% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,370 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

  3. Cream + eggtop 24% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked 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

Cold boiled ham
Provides the savory body and flavour that forms the base of each mould.
Cream
Adds moisture and richness so the ham mixture stays tender when baked.
Egg white
Beaten to a froth, it adds lightness and helps bind the ham mixture as it sets.
Raw egg
Sets in the centre of each mould, forming a soft, cooked-egg centre.

The step that matters

Lining the moulds with the ham mixture. The ham layer must be even and press firmly against the sides so it holds its shape and leaves a well for the egg. Gaps or thin spots can let the egg spread or the mould collapse when turned out.

“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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