Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Veal Cutlets
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Trim and flatten the cutlets with a wet rolling pin, pare the sides neatly, and scrape the bones clean.
Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Melt 1 oz of butter, mix in half the chopped parsley, and brush over the cutlets.
Sprinkle lemon juice on each.
Coat and cook
Beat the egg, dip each cutlet in the egg, and coat with white breadcrumbs mixed with the remaining parsley and lemon rind.
Melt the remaining butter in a sauté pan, add the cutlets, and fry until golden brown on both sides.
Transfer the pan to a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 15 minutes to ensure they are well cooked.
Serve
Arrange a puree of peas in the center of a dish, place the cutlets around it with alternate slices of fried ham, and pour demi-glace sauce or rich gravy around the base.
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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Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Parsley + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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Veal + hamtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,264 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal cutlets
- Form the main body of the dish, cooking to a tender, juicy bite when not overcooked.
- Eggs
- Bind the breadcrumb coating to the cutlets so it adheres during frying.
- Breadcrumbs
- Form a crisp, golden-brown crust when fried in butter.
- Butter
- Conducts heat for frying and browning, adding richness and flavor to the crust.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the rich butter and veal flavors.
- Raw ham
- Adds savory, salty flavor and fat that complements the veal.
The step that matters
Frying until golden brown. Browning the breadcrumb coating in butter creates flavor and a crisp crust through the Maillard reaction. Cooking over too low a heat leaves the coating pale and greasy, while too high a heat can scorch it before the veal 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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