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 ↓
Fricandeau of Veal
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Lay the veal flat on a table with the skin side up.
Weigh the bacon after trimming any rind and rust.
Bake
Press the mixture into a dish, higher in the center than at the edges.
Bake for 1 to 1½ hours.
Serve
Serve hot or cold, and drain excess fat.
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).
-
Lemon + nutmegtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,318 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Veal + lemontop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Veal + macetop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,761 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
-
Mace + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,315 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal
- Lean meat that sets into a firm, sliceable texture as it bakes.
- Striped bacon
- Its fat renders during baking, adding moisture and rich flavor to the lean veal.
- Mace
- Adds a warm, aromatic spice flavor that complements the meat.
- Nutmeg
- Contributes a warm, sweet aroma that deepens the spiced flavor.
- Lemon rind
- Its oils add bright, fragrant citrus aroma that lifts the rich meat.
The step that matters
Drain excess fat. Fat rendered from the bacon pools during baking. Draining it keeps the dish from tasting greasy and helps the surface stay firm rather than soft and oily.
“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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