Name: Canapes a LA Reforme- -reform Canapes
Ingredients: small pieces of toast (1.5 to 2.5 inches); ravigote butter; smoked beef tongue (finely shredded); truffles (finely shredded); hard-boiled egg white (finely shredded); gherkin (finely shredded); meat jelly (finely chopped)

Why it works: Butter and truffle are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,209 recipes. Both carry nonanal, which smells fat, citrus. The science ↓

Canapes a LA Reforme- -reform Canapes

Ingredients

small pieces of toast (1.5 to 2.5 inches)
ravigote butter
smoked beef tongue (finely shredded)
truffles (finely shredded)
hard-boiled egg white (finely shredded)
gherkin (finely shredded)
meat jelly (finely chopped)

Directions

Spread ravigote butter over the small pieces of toast.
Garnish with finely shredded smoked beef tongue, truffles, hard-boiled egg white, and gherkins.
Sprinkle with finely chopped meat jelly.
Serve on a napkin.

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.

Butter + truffletop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,209 recipes

Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
Beef + meattop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,533 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Truffle + meattop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together527 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Beef + truffletop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together412 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-ethylphenol (must).
Butter + beeftop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,847 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).

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

What each ingredient does

Ravigote butter: Adds fat and herbal flavour that moistens the toast and carries the toppings.
Smoked beef tongue: Provides the main savoury, smoky meat flavour and a tender texture.
Truffles: Contributes a concentrated, earthy aroma that defines the canapé's luxury character.
Hard-boiled egg white: Adds mild texture and a light, delicate contrast to the richer toppings.
Gherkin: Adds acidity and crunch that cut through the fat of the butter and meats.

“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.