Why it works: Turkey and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,592 recipes. Both carry trans-2-decenal, which smells waxy, orange. The science ↓
Mock Duck
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Prepare a nice tender round steak.
Make stuffing as you would for turkey.
Assemble
Spread the stuffing on the steak and roll it up tightly.
Tie the rolled steak securely.
Roast
Roast in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 30 to 45 minutes, basting with butter.
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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Turkey + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,592 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Round steak
- Forms the outer meat wrapper that holds the stuffing and becomes tender when cooked.
- Stuffing
- Fills the rolled steak, adding moisture and flavor to the meat as it cooks.
- Butter
- Basting fat that adds richness and promotes browning on the outside of the roll.
The step that matters
Roll and tie the steak tightly. A loose roll lets stuffing fall out and leaves gaps where the meat cooks unevenly. A firm, even roll with secure ties holds the filling in place and gives the slices a neat, consistent texture.
“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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