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 ↓
Cordon Rouge Potato Souffles
Ingredients
Directions
Peel and slice the potatoes into rounds.
In a pan, heat the cream until it reduces to about half its quantity, stirring constantly.
Add the potato slices to the boiling cream and let it simmer, stirring gently to prevent burning.
Season with coarse sea salt, black pepper, and grated nutmeg.
Just before serving, add a few small pieces of butter and shake the pan to blend the potatoes carefully.
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.
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Pepper + nutmegtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Potato + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,052 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Cream + nutmegtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,920 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, pepper, nutmeg, butter):
- Spinachfits about as well
- Potatothe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Leekfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against cream, pepper, nutmeg, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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