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Scollops of Partridges, in Cases

Partridges filleted into scallops, seasoned, simmered with sauce, and baked in paper cases topped with bacon.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Parsley and shallot match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,737 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Scollops of Partridges, in Cases

Ingredients

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

Prepare the partridge

  1. Fillet the partridges and cut the fillets into small scallops.

  2. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan.

Make the filling

  1. Season the scallops with mignonette pepper, salt, nutmeg, mushrooms, parsley, truffles, and shallots.

  2. Simmer the scallops briskly over medium heat.

  3. Add the Espagnole sauce, fumet, and lemon juice.

  4. Toss together for a few minutes.

Fill and bake

  1. Fill the prepared paper cases with the mixture.

  2. Top each case with a layer of bacon.

  3. Warm the cases in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 20 minutes before serving.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Parsley + shallottop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,737 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  3. Nutmeg + parsleytop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,062 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  4. Mushroom + shallottop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,982 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  5. Mushroom + truffletop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,900 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Partridges
Provide the main meat, which cooks into tender scallops in the filling.
Espagnole sauce
Adds body and a rich, savoury depth that binds the filling together.
Butter
Adds fat and flavour for sautéing the scallops and enriching the sauce.
Truffles
Contribute a strong, earthy aroma that defines the dish's flavour.
Fat bacon
Melts over the cases as they warm, adding fat and savoury richness.

The step that matters

Simmer the scallops briskly over medium heat. Brisk simmering cooks the small partridge pieces through quickly and gently sets their proteins, keeping them tender rather than dry or tough. Overcooking toughens the meat and reduces its moisture, so the pieces should be removed from heat once just cooked.

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, pepper, mushroom, parsley, truffle, shallot, sauce):

  1. Capersfits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Tarragonfits better
  4. Nutmegthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, pepper, mushroom, parsley, truffle, shallot, sauce. 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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