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Canapes, Indian Style

A spreadable mixture of ham, chicken, chutney, curry powder, butter, salt, and pepper served on toast or croutons.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Ham and chicken are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,497 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓

Canapes, Indian Style

Ingredients

Directions

Make the spread

  1. Pound the ingredients in a mortar until well combined.

  2. Pass the mixture through a sieve to achieve a smooth texture.

Serve

  1. Spread the mixture on toasted bread or croutons.

  2. Serve immediately.

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. Ham + chickentop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,497 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  2. Chicken + buttertop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together13,902 recipes

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

  3. Ham + buttertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,475 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

  4. Chicken + peppertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,958 recipes

    Shared aroma: piperonal (bitter, coconut).

  5. Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together85,593 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

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

What each ingredient does

Butter
Adds fat and richness, helping the spread turn smooth and carry flavour.
Cooked chicken
Provides the main body and protein of the spread, giving it a substantial texture.
Cooked ham
Adds savoury, salty depth and a firmer meaty texture to the spread.
Chutney
Contributes sweetness and acidity that balance the savoury meats.
Curry powder
Supplies warm spice aroma that defines the Indian flavour of the spread.

The step that matters

Pass the mixture through a sieve. Sieving breaks down fibres and small lumps left after pounding, so the spread becomes smooth and spreads evenly on the bread without tearing it.

“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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