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Jefferson Canapes

A toasted bread appetizer topped with ham, mushrooms, tomatoes, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Mushroom and parmesan cheese are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,199 recipes. Both carry methyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells apple, fatty. The science ↓

Jefferson Canapes

Oven, in the book's wordsA hot oven

Ingredients

Directions

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

Prepare

  1. Trim the bread slices evenly and toast them until light brown.

  2. Spread a little mustard on each slice of ham and place it on the toasted bread.

  3. Add a layer of cooked mushrooms and tomatoes on top of the ham.

  4. Dredge grated Parmesan cheese over the top and sprinkle fresh bread crumbs.

Bake and serve

  1. Place in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) for 10 minutes.

  2. Transfer to a heated dish, cover with a folded napkin, and serve.

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. Mushroom + parmesan cheesetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,199 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (apple, fatty).

  2. Mushroom + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,719 recipes

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

  3. Bread + hamtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,536 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).

  4. Tomato + parmesan cheesetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,490 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  5. Bread + tomatotop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,013 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Lean cooked ham
Forms the savoury meat base that the toppings rest on.
Grated parmesan cheese
Melts and browns in the oven, adding a savoury, golden crust.
Fresh bread crumbs
Adds a crisp, lightly browned texture to the topping.
Cooked mushrooms
Adds moisture and earthy savoury flavour to the topping.
Cooked tomatoes
Adds moisture and gentle acidity to balance the rich ham and cheese.

The step that matters

Baking in a hot oven. Ham and vegetables are already cooked, so the short bake mainly melts the cheese and crisps the crumbs. Too little heat leaves the topping pale and soft, while too long can dry the ham and toast the bread too far.

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bread, ham, mushroom, tomato, parmesan cheese):

  1. Asparagusfits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Spinachfits better
  4. Mustardthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against bread, ham, mushroom, tomato, parmesan cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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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