Why it works: Clove and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,451 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓
Braised Beef
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Choose beef fillets or a leg-of-mutton piece.
Lard the meat with bacon, or lay slices of bacon on the bottom of the stewpan.
Cut up the vegetables and lay them over the bacon.
Sprinkle the meat with flour and place it on top of the vegetables.
Pour the boiling hot stock over the meat.
Add the herbs tied in muslin.
Cover tightly and boil for a few minutes.
Braise
Simmer gently for 3 to 4 hours, turning and basting twice.
Remove the meat and place it in a 400°F (200°C) oven to brown for 30 minutes.
Reduce the gravy by boiling it until it measures 1 pint; skim and strain it.
Optionally, thicken the gravy with flour to taste.
Serve
Serve the meat on a hot dish with the gravy and vegetables arranged around it.
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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Flour + clovetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,671 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beef (in the method)
- Provides the main meat that becomes tender during long, slow simmering.
- Flour
- Dusted on the meat and can thicken the gravy as it cooks.
- Bacon
- Adds savoury fat and smoky flavour to the meat and vegetables below.
- Stock
- Forms the braising liquid that gives the gravy its body and flavour.
- Vegetables
- Flavour the braising liquid and sit under the meat as a bed.
The step that matters
Simmer gently rather than boil. Gentle heat slowly breaks down tough connective tissue into gelatin, keeping the meat tender. A hard boil toughens the outer fibres and can dry the meat.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, pepper):
- Jalapenofits better
- Turmericfits better
- Parsleyfits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, pepper. 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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