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Broiled Mutton Kidneys

Broiled mutton kidneys served on croutons.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓

Broiled Mutton Kidneys

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Split the kidneys open lengthwise without dividing them; remove the skin and fat.

  2. Run a fine skewer through the points and across the back of the kidneys to keep them flat while broiling.

  3. Season the kidneys with coarse sea salt and cayenne pepper.

Broil and serve

  1. Broil the kidneys over a clear brisk fire with the cut sides facing the heat for 4-5 minutes.

  2. Turn the kidneys and broil for an additional 4-5 minutes.

  3. While the kidneys are broiling, fry the croutons in a little clarified butter until golden and keep them hot.

  4. Dish each half of the kidneys on a crouton and serve immediately.

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. Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together27,232 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

  2. Mutton + breadtop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,488 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

  3. Mutton + peppertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together5,442 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  4. Mutton + buttertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,781 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  5. Pepper + breadtop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,964 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 kidneys
Form the dish's main meaty base, cooked quickly so the interior stays tender.
Clarified butter
Fries the croutons golden and adds rich, nutty fat flavour.
Bread
Forms the crisp croutons that hold the kidneys and soak up their juices.

The step that matters

Broil the kidneys for the short time given, turning once. Kidneys turn tough and rubbery when overcooked, because their proteins tighten under high heat. A brisk fire sears the cut sides quickly, and turning once cooks both halves evenly while keeping the centre tender.

“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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