Why it works: Veal and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 23% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,381 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
Veal Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pound the boiled veal and smoked tongue separately in a mortar, moistening with butter as you go.
Pack and store
Pack the mixture in a jar or pail in alternate layers, starting with the tongue followed by the veal.
Press down hard and pour melted butter over the top.
Keep covered in a dry place.
Serve
Serve cold for sandwiches or lunch.
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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Veal + buttertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,381 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Boiled veal
- Forms the main body of the meat paste, giving it a soft, spreadable texture.
- Smoked tongue
- Adds a smoky, savoury flavour that contrasts with the mild veal.
- Butter
- Adds moisture and richness, helping the pounded meat bind and spread smoothly.
The step that matters
Press down hard and pour melted butter over the top. Pressing removes air pockets so the meat packs densely, and the melted butter seals the surface. Together they limit contact with air, which helps the cheese keep its texture and resist spoilage.
“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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