Why it works: Cream and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and 41,516 recipes mention both. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Scotch Woodcock
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the toast
Cut the toast into 2‑inch squares and butter them well.
Spread anchovy paste on the buttered toast.
Make the topping
Season the egg yolks with a little cayenne and salt.
Gently beat the yolks and add them to the hot cream.
Stir over low heat until the mixture thickens.
Serve
Pour the preparation over the toast and serve hot.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Egg + anchovytop 12% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together2,330 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Anchovy + buttertop 13% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together3,697 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Cream + anchovytop 15% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together798 recipes
Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
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Anchovy + peppertop 17% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together3,232 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the cream as they heat, forming a soft, spreadable custard.
- Cream
- Provides richness and moisture, and carries the yolks into a smooth sauce.
- Anchovy paste
- Adds a salty, savoury flavour that sits under the creamy topping.
- Toast
- Gives a crisp base that holds the topping without going soggy at once.
The step that matters
Stir over low heat until the mixture thickens. Egg yolks set at moderate temperatures, and high heat can scramble them into lumps. Gentle, constant stirring keeps the mixture smooth and thick.
“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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