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 ↓
Rump Steaks
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the steak
Cut the rump steaks to a good thickness.
Broil the steaks over a clear coal fire.
Season with coarse sea salt and black pepper.
Make the sauce
In a saucepan, combine chopped parsley, butter, coulis, lemon pickle, and ketchup.
Simmer the sauce until reduced by half.
Serve
Place the steaks on a dish.
Pour the sauce over the steaks.
Arrange fried potato slices around the dish.
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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Pepper + parsleytop 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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Butter + lemontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,227 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rump steaks
- Provide the main meat, which browns and develops flavor when broiled over direct heat.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat to the sauce, giving it a smooth, rounded mouthfeel.
- Ketchup
- Adds sweetness and acidity to the sauce, balancing the richness of the butter.
- Lemon pickle
- Contributes sharp acidity and tang to the sauce.
- Coulis
- Adds body and concentrated fruit flavor to the sauce as it reduces.
The step that matters
Simmering the sauce until reduced by half. Reducing concentrates flavors and thickens the sauce. Simmering too hard or too long can scorch the butter and sugars in the ketchup and coulis, leaving a bitter taste, so keep the heat gentle and watch closely.
“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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