Why it works: Flour and sauce are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,078 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Ox Heart
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Soak the ox heart in lukewarm water for 1 hour to remove impurities.
Wipe the heart with a cloth and stuff it with the seasoned veal stuffing.
Tie the heart in paper and insert a small spit through the sides.
Roast and serve
Roast the heart over a fire for about 2 hours, basting frequently.
Remove the paper and serve with a sharp sauce or plain gravy.
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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Flour + saucetop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,078 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Veal + saucetop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,072 recipes
Shared aroma: decanoic acid (soapy, waxy).
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Veal + flourtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,886 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ox heart
- Forms the main body of the dish and is cooked whole, so it stays moist during roasting.
- Highly seasoned veal stuffing
- Adds moisture and rich flavour to the inside of the heart as it roasts.
The step that matters
Basting during the roast. Roasting a dense, lean muscle over a fire can dry its surface. Frequent basting spreads fat and juices over the meat, keeping it moist and promoting even browning.
“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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