Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Veal Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Slice the veal and ham into neat pieces.
Boil the eggs hard, then peel and slice them.
Assemble and set
Layer the veal, ham, and sliced eggs in a mold, sprinkling herbs and seasoning between layers.
Add stock, ensuring it is strong; if not, dissolve a little gelatin in it before adding.
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 + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Meat + hamtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,095 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Veal + hamtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,264 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Egg + hamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,526 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Veal + parsleytop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,766 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
- Forms the main body of the cake and gives it a firm, sliceable texture when set.
- Eggs
- Hard-boiled slices add structure and a firm, contrasting texture inside the cake.
- Ham
- Adds savoury flavour and firmness between the layers of meat and egg.
- Stock or gravy
- Supplies moisture and gelatin that bind the layers together as the cake sets.
The step that matters
Make sure the stock is strong enough to set. Stock relies on natural gelatin to solidify when chilled. If it is weak, the cake will not hold its shape when sliced, so adding dissolved gelatin ensures it sets firmly.
“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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