Why it works: Parsley and carrot match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Modern Cookery
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare and roast
Truss the duck firmly and roast it halfway in a 400°F (200°C) oven.
In a stewpan, combine the duck with a small bunch of green onions, parsley, and young carrots.
Alternatively, fry minced shallots in butter and use them to flavor the gravy.
Stew and serve
Stew the duck for 1 to 1.25 hours, turning occasionally and covering with boiling gravy.
Serve the duck with green peas heaped in the center.
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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Parsley + carrottop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Parsley + shallottop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,737 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Peas + shallottop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together173 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Onion + carrottop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together21,601 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + beeftop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Duck
- Provides the main meat, whose rich fat and firm texture carry the stew.
- Beef stock or espagnole sauce
- Forms the gravy that moistens the duck and carries flavor during the long stew.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, and browns the shallots for a savoury aroma.
- Green peas
- Add sweetness and a fresh, bright color that contrasts with the rich duck.
- Minced shallots
- Add a mild, sweet onion aroma that deepens the flavor of the gravy.
The step that matters
Stew the duck for 1 to 1.25 hours, turning occasionally and covering with boiling gravy. Keeping the duck submerged in boiling gravy and turning it helps it cook evenly and stay moist, while the long gentle stew breaks down tough connective tissue for tender meat.
Swap the peas
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, parsley, carrot, shallot, butter, beef):
- Chickpeafits better
- Lentilsfits better
- Beansfits better
- Peasthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against onion, parsley, carrot, shallot, butter, beef. 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.
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