Name: Timbale of Raviolis, a LA Romaine
Ingredients: 4 dozen raviolis; 4 ounces truffles, cut into scallops; 4 ounces red tongue, cut into scallops; 20 mushrooms, sliced; ⅓ cup Madeira; 1 ounce game glaze; 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese; 1 large tablespoon reduced Espagnole sauce

Why it works: Truffle and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,900 recipes. Both carry 2,4-nonadienal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓

Timbale of Raviolis, a LA Romaine

Ingredients

4 dozen raviolis
4 ounces truffles, cut into scallops
4 ounces red tongue, cut into scallops
20 mushrooms, sliced
⅓ cup Madeira
1 ounce game glaze
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1 large tablespoon reduced Espagnole sauce

Directions

Prepare the filling

Boil the raviolis in consommé and drain them on a sieve.
In a stewpan, combine truffles, red tongue, and mushrooms.
Add Madeira and game glaze, then boil quickly over high heat until the wine is absorbed.
Stir in Parmesan cheese and reduced Espagnole sauce until hot.

Finish and serve

Garnish the timbale case.
Turn the timbale out onto a dish.
Glaze the timbale.
Pour brown sauce around the base before serving.

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.

Truffle + mushroomtop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,900 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Mushroom + parmesan cheesetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,199 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (apple, fatty).
Scallop + saucetop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together130 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Truffle + parmesan cheesetop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together140 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).
Scallop + mushroomtop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together64 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).

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

What each ingredient does

Raviolis: Form the bulk of the timbale and hold the filling together as its structure.
Truffles: Add a concentrated, earthy aroma that defines the dish.
Red tongue: Adds savoury, meaty body and texture to the filling.
Mushrooms: Add moisture and earthy depth as they release and reabsorb their juices.
Madeira: Adds sweetness and acidity, and its reduction concentrates flavour in the filling.
Parmesan cheese: Adds salty, savoury flavour and helps bind the filling as it melts.

The step that matters

Boil quickly over high heat until the wine is absorbed. A fast, high-heat boil evaporates the Madeira so the filling stays thick rather than watery. If it is left too wet, the timbale will not hold its shape when turned out.

“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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Timbale of Raviolis, a LA Romaine