Chickens for Vol-au-vent

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. Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together41,516 recipes

   Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

2. Butter + white winetop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together5,083 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

3. Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

4. White wine + macetop 16% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together1,329 recipes

   Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).

5. White wine + creamtop 16% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together1,760 recipes

   Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).

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

White meat of chicken or turkey

Forms the main body of the filling.

Flour

Thickens the liquid into a creamy sauce as it heats.

Butter

Adds richness and carries flavour in the filling.

White wine

Adds acidity and aroma that balance the cream.

Mace

Adds a warm, aromatic spice flavour.

Cream

Adds moisture and a smooth, rich texture.

The step that matters

Swap the mace

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (meat, flour, butter, white wine, cream):

1. Nutmegfits better
2. Thymefits better
3. Tarragonfits better
4. Macethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against meat, flour, butter, white wine, cream. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.