Why it works: Jerusalem artichoke and artichoke share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 31 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Jerusalem Artichokes, Puree for Garniture
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Peel and wash the Jerusalem artichokes, then slice them.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the sliced artichokes.
Cook them over the heat for a few minutes.
Make the puree
Moisten with enough broth to cover the artichokes.
Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.
Cook until the broth is reduced.
Add the cream sauce and pass through a fine sieve.
Return to a flat saucepan and reduce with a little cream to the desired consistency.
Finish
Before serving, add a small piece of butter and a few drops of meat glaze.
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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Jerusalem artichoke + artichoketop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together31 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Cream + saucetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,787 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Artichoke + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,170 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Jerusalem artichokes
- Provide the main body and earthy flavour of the puree.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a silky mouthfeel to the artichokes.
- Cream sauce
- Adds body and creaminess, helping the puree become smooth.
- Cream
- Thins and enriches the puree, adjusting it to the desired consistency.
- Meat glaze
- Adds savoury depth and colour in small amounts.
The step that matters
Pass through a fine sieve. Straining the cooked artichokes removes fibrous pieces, so the puree becomes smooth. Reducing afterwards concentrates flavour and sets the final texture.
Swap the jerusalem artichoke
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, artichoke, pepper, sugar, cream, sauce, meat):
- Jerusalem artichokethe original
- Shallotfits about as well
- Mustardfits less well
- Spinachfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, artichoke, pepper, sugar, cream, sauce, meat. 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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