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Broiled Mutton Kidneys

Broiled mutton kidneys served with croutons and optional gravy, wine or ketchup.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓

Broiled Mutton Kidneys

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Split the kidneys open lengthwise without dividing them, and remove the skin and fat.

  2. Run a fine skewer through the points and across the back of the kidneys to keep them flat while broiling.

  3. Season the kidneys with coarse sea salt and cayenne pepper.

Broil and fry

  1. Broil the kidneys over a clear brisk fire with the cut sides facing the heat for 4-5 minutes, then turn and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

  2. While the kidneys are broiling, fry the croutons in a little clarified butter until golden and keep them hot.

Serve

  1. Once cooked, place each kidney half on a crouton.

  2. Make a sauce in the pan using gravy, adding a little wine or ketchup if available, and pour it around the croutons.

  3. Serve the kidneys immediately.

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. Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together27,232 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

  2. Mutton + breadtop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,488 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

  3. Butter + winetop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,645 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).

  4. Mutton + peppertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together5,442 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  5. Mutton + buttertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,781 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

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

What each ingredient does

Mutton kidneys
Form the main body of the dish, becoming tender and savoury when cooked quickly over high heat.
Clarified butter
Fries the croutons to a golden, crisp surface while adding rich flavour.
Bread croutons
Act as a crisp base that holds each kidney half and soaks up the sauce.
Cayenne pepper
Adds a sharp, hot note that contrasts with the rich meat.

The step that matters

Broil over a clear, brisk fire. High, direct heat sears the cut surfaces quickly so the kidneys brown outside while staying tender inside. Overcooking toughens kidney meat, so timing over the 4-5 minute turns matters.

“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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