Why it works: Rabbit and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,067 recipes. Both carry acetaldehyde, which smells pungent, ethereal. The science ↓
Rabbit Patties
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderately hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the filling
In a bowl, combine minced rabbit, diced bacon or ham, salt, pepper, and flour.
Moisten the mixture with stock or milk and bring to a boil.
Assemble and bake
Line patty pans with pastry and fill with the meat mixture.
Cover with pastry lids, brush with beaten egg, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Rabbit + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,067 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
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Rabbit + hamtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together273 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Ham + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,526 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cooked rabbit
- Forms the main body of the filling and gives the patties their meaty texture.
- Bacon or ham
- Adds fat and savory flavor that carries through the minced meat.
- Flour
- Thickens the moistened meat mixture so it holds together in the patties.
- Egg
- Brushed on the pastry lids to promote browning and a glossy finish.
The step that matters
Moisten and bring to a boil. Adding enough stock or milk and heating the mixture lets the flour thicken it. A filling that is too wet or too dry will run out of the pastry or bake up crumbly.
“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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