Why it works: Pepper and beef are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 18,971 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Shoulder of Mutton Cutlets
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Sprinkle the mutton slices lightly with salt and pepper if desired.
Heat the butter in a small frying pan until hot.
Cook and serve
Add the mutton slices and cook slowly, turning frequently until done.
Transfer the cutlets to a hot plate and pour beef tea or thickened gravy over them.
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 + beeftop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Mutton + beeftop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,373 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Mutton + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,442 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Mutton + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,781 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Butter + beeftop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,847 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Shoulder of mutton
- Provides the meat itself, which browns and firms as it cooks through in the pan.
- Butter
- Conducts heat into the meat and adds richness and browning to the surface.
- Beef tea or thickened gravy
- Adds moisture and savoury flavour to the cutlets when poured over them at serving.
The step that matters
Cook slowly and turn frequently. Thin slices can dry out and toughen if cooked too fast or too long. Gentle heat and frequent turning cook the meat evenly and keep it moist while the surface browns.
“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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