Why it works: Beef and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,052 recipes. Both carry sotolon, which smells curry, maple. The science ↓
Braized Fillet of Beef, with Madeira Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare and braise
Lard the fillet of beef and prepare it for braising.
Moisten the fillet with the bottle of Madeira.
Braise the fillet gently on a slow fire, basting frequently with its own juices.
Glaze and serve
Once done, glaze the fillet and place it on a serving dish.
Garnish with Jardiniere, Macedoine, or nicely fried potatoes.
Clarify the braising liquid, reduce it to half glaze consistency, and use it to sauce the fillet.
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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Beef + potatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,052 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beef fillet
- Forms the main body of the dish, becoming tender through slow, moist braising.
- Madeira
- Adds aromatic depth and body to the braising liquid, which is reduced into the sauce.
The step that matters
Braise gently on a slow fire. Gentle heat and frequent basting keep the surface moist and the meat tender. High heat toughens the proteins and dries the outside before the centre is cooked through.
“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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