Why it works: Mace and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,557 recipes. Both carry myristicin, which smells spice, warm. The science ↓
Boudin of Pheasant a LA Richelieu
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mixture
Mince and pound the pheasant flesh to a smooth paste.
Blend in the roasted or boiled potato until well mixed.
Add fresh butter, mace, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt; pound for 10-15 minutes.
Remove the germs from the eggs with a fork, then add them one by one to the mixture.
Poach
Shape the mixture into a roll and place it in a buttered stewpan.
Pour boiling water over it and poach gently for 10-15 minutes.
Carefully lift it out and drain on a sieve until cool.
Coat and brown
Cover with beaten egg and then with fine bread crumbs.
Broil over a clear fire or fry in butter until golden brown.
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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Mace + nutmegtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,557 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Potato + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,052 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Egg + breadtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Pheasant flesh
- Forms the main body of the boudin, giving it its meaty flavour and firm structure.
- Potatoes
- Adds starch and body, helping the mixture hold together and stay tender.
- Fresh butter
- Adds richness and moisture, keeping the mixture soft and succulent.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture so it sets firmly during poaching.
The step that matters
Pounding the mixture with butter and seasoning. Thorough pounding works the mixture into a smooth, cohesive paste. Incorporating the butter evenly keeps the boudin moist, and adding eggs gradually helps them emulsify rather than separate, giving a uniform texture.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pheasant, potato, butter, nutmeg, egg, bread):
- Parsleyfits better
- Cinnamonfits better
- Thymefits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pheasant, potato, butter, nutmeg, egg, bread. 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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