Why it works: Pepper and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 13,015 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Jellied Veal
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
In a bowl, combine the chopped veal, salt, pepper, nutmeg, crushed crackers, eggs, and butter. If the veal is thin, add the cream.
Form and bake
Form the mixture into a large roll and dot the top with bits of butter. Sprinkle the remaining crushed crackers over the roll, mixing a little with the meal.
Place the roll in the oven and add a little water occasionally. Cook slowly for 2 hours.
Serve
Once cooled, slice thinly and serve as a relish.
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.
-
Pepper + nutmegtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Nutmeg + creamtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,920 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Nutmeg + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together24,377 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal
- Forms the main body of the roll, setting firm as it cooks and cools.
- Eggs
- Bind the meat and crackers together and help the roll set as it cooks.
- Crackers
- Absorb moisture and add body, helping the mixture hold its shape when sliced.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, keeping the meat moist as it cooks slowly.
The step that matters
Cook slowly and add water occasionally. Slow cooking at a low oven temperature keeps lean meat from drying out and toughening. Adding water during baking helps maintain moisture so the roll stays tender and sliceable once cooled.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, pepper, egg, butter, cream):
- Nutmegthe original
- Parsleyfits about as well
- Tarragonfits less well
- Sagefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, pepper, egg, butter, cream. 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.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Veal Patties50 recipes
Beef, Mutton, or Veal Broth6 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes