Why it works: Pepper and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 13,015 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Veal Souffle
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the veal
Remove all skin and gristle from the veal, then cut it into small pieces.
Pound the veal in a mortar until smooth.
Make the mousse
Gradually add the butter, the yolks of 2 eggs, and 1 egg white, along with the cold béchamel sauce.
Season with salt, pepper, and a little grated nutmeg.
Whisk the remaining 2 egg whites until stiff, then lightly beat the cream.
Carefully fold the whipped egg whites and cream into the veal mixture.
Mold, steam and serve
Decorate the bottom of a well-buttered timbale or charlotte mold with truffle slices or finely chopped truffle.
Fill the mold three-quarters full with the mixture and steam gently for about 1 hour.
Unmold and serve with supreme sauce or another good white sauce.
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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Pepper + nutmegtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sauce + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,787 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Veal + truffletop 11% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together815 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
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Butter + truffletop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,209 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal
- Provides the main body of the soufflé once pounded smooth and set by gentle heat.
- Eggs
- Whites trapped air for lightness while yolks help bind and set the mixture.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, tender texture to the veal mixture.
- Béchamel sauce
- Adds moisture and body, keeping the mixture soft and creamy.
- Double cream
- Adds richness and softness, lightening the texture when folded in.
- Truffle
- Adds a distinctive earthy aroma and flavour to the finished dish.
The step that matters
Folding the whipped whites and cream into the veal. Whipped egg whites hold air that gives the soufflé its lift. Folding gently preserves that trapped air; stirring or overmixing deflates the foam and leaves a dense result.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, egg, butter, truffle, sauce, cream, pepper):
- Nutmegthe original
- Parsleyfits about as well
- Tarragonfits about as well
- Capersfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, egg, butter, truffle, sauce, cream, pepper. 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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