Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 81,283 recipes mention both. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Croquettes of Veal and Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mixture
Mix shredded veal and ham.
Add breadcrumbs, eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
Shape mixture into small patties.
Fry and serve
Heat butter and oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Fry the croquettes until golden brown on both sides.
Drain on paper towels before serving.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Veal + hamtop 15% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together3,264 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Ham + buttertop 16% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together5,475 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Ham + eggtop 17% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together4,526 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture so the croquettes hold their shape when fried.
- Breadcrumbs
- Absorb moisture and add body so the mixture can be shaped into patties.
- Milk
- Adds moisture to the mixture, keeping the croquettes from drying out.
- Butter
- Adds fat and flavor, and helps the croquettes brown in the pan.
The step that matters
Fry until golden brown on both sides. The patties are fragile and held together by egg and breadcrumbs. Frying over medium heat lets the outside brown and set before it breaks, while the inside heats 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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