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Scollops of Partridges, in Cases

Partridges filleted into scallops, sautéed with aromatics, wrapped in paper cases with bacon, baked and served with sauce.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Parsley and shallot match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,737 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Scollops of Partridges, in Cases

Ingredients

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

Prepare the partridge

  1. Fillet the partridges and cut the fillets into small scallops.

  2. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan and add the scallops.

  3. Season with mignonette pepper, salt, nutmeg, mushrooms, parsley, truffles, and shallots.

  4. Simmer the scallops briskly over medium heat.

  5. Add the Espagnole sauce, fumet, and lemon juice; toss together for a few minutes.

Fill and bake

  1. Fill the oiled paper cases with the mixture.

  2. Place a thin layer of bacon on each case.

  3. Warm the cases in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 20 minutes before serving.

Serve

  1. Serve with a little of the sauce poured over each.

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. Parsley + shallottop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,737 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  3. Nutmeg + parsleytop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,062 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  4. Mushroom + shallottop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,982 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  5. Mushroom + truffletop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,900 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

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

What each ingredient does

Partridges
Provide the main meat, cut into small scallops that cook quickly and stay tender.
Butter
Adds richness and carries flavour while the scallops are sautéed.
Espagnole sauce
Adds body and a savoury, concentrated flavour that coats the scallops.
Shallots
Add a mild aromatic sweetness that softens as it cooks.
Truffles
Contribute a strong earthy aroma that defines the dish's flavour.

The step that matters

Simmer the scallops briskly over medium heat. Cooking the partridge meat too gently can leave it grey and rubbery, while a brisk simmer sears the surface and keeps it tender. Keeping the heat controlled prevents the butter from browning too quickly and the pieces from drying out.

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, pepper, mushroom, parsley, truffle, shallot, sauce):

  1. Capersfits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Tarragonfits better
  4. Nutmegthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, pepper, mushroom, parsley, truffle, shallot, sauce. 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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