Why it works: Sherry and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,176 recipes. Both carry 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol, which smells smoky, clove. The science ↓
Mutton Cutlets En Papillote
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
Trim and flatten the mutton cutlets, then season with salt and pepper.
Fry the cutlets in butter until slightly browned, then drain the butter.
In a small saucepan, combine Espagnole Sauce and sherry, and reduce until thick. Stir in the chutnee and pour the sauce over the cutlets; let cool.
Oil six pieces of paper large enough to wrap each cutlet.
Assemble and bake
Cover each cutlet with chopped mushrooms and ham, then sprinkle with fried bread-crumbs.
Wrap the cutlets in the oiled paper and place on a baking sheet.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes and serve in the paper.
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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Sherry + mushroomtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,176 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol (smoky, clove).
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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Butter + mushroomtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,525 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
-
Ham + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,536 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
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Mushroom + breadtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,536 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton cutlets
- Form the main body of the dish, cooked tender inside the sealed paper.
- Espagnole sauce
- Provides a rich, thick brown base that coats the cutlets and keeps them moist.
- Sherry
- Adds acidity and depth of flavour as it reduces into the sauce.
- Mushrooms
- Add moisture and savoury, earthy flavour under the paper wrap.
- Ham
- Adds salty, savoury flavour to the topping.
- Butter
- Browns the cutlets on the surface, adding color and rich flavour.
The step that matters
Wrapping the cutlets tightly in oiled paper. The paper seals in steam so the cutlets and sauce cook in their own moisture. If the parcels leak or the paper is not oiled, the meat can dry out and the paper may stick or scorch.
“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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