Name: Veal Cake
Ingredients: Butter for greasing; Hard-boiled yolks of eggs; Chopped parsley; Minced veal; Minced ham; Seasoned stock

Why it works: Butter and parsley are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 28,563 recipes. Both carry trans-2-hexenal, which smells green, leafy. The science ↓

Veal Cake

Oven, in the book's wordsA gentle oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a gentle oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Prepare

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
Butter a plain earthenware dish or mold.
Layer hard-boiled yolks, chopped parsley, minced veal, and minced ham in the dish.

Make and bake the meatloaf

Season the mixture highly and mix thoroughly to form a smooth paste.
Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of seasoned stock over the meat.
Cover the dish closely and bake for about 1 hour.

Press, cool and serve

Once baked, press firmly into the mold and place a plate with a weight on top.
Let it cool completely before turning it out.
Garnish with parsley and serve for luncheon or supper.

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.

Butter + parsleytop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together28,563 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Veal + hamtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,264 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Butter + hamtop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,475 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Egg + hamtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,526 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked 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

Minced veal: Forms the main body of the loaf and gives it a firm, sliceable texture when pressed.
Minced ham: Adds savoury, salty flavour and fat that keeps the meat from drying out.
Hard-boiled egg yolks: Add richness and a crumbly, creamy texture that binds the meat mixture.
Seasoned stock: Adds moisture and savouriness so the meat stays tender during baking.

The step that matters

Covering the dish and baking gently. Baking covered at a low 300°F keeps moisture in and cooks the meat slowly, so it stays tender rather than drying or toughening. Pressing while still warm and cooling fully lets the proteins set into a firm, sliceable loaf.